


A Tale of Two Sisters

by TwilightOleander



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Drama, Character Study, Dysfunctional Relationships, F/M, Family Drama, Family Issues, Friendship, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, Not Beta Read, Sibling Bonding, Some Humor, Worldbuilding, adoptive families
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 82,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25212823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightOleander/pseuds/TwilightOleander
Summary: AU in which Yuki and her twin sister Yoko were separated during their infancy. The two girls were raised under very different circumstances in which Yuki remained a pureblood vampire while Yoko was turned into a human. How will the rest of the story play out given these twists to fate?
Kudos: 27





	1. Snow

The little girl stood amidst the swirling snow, watching the white snowflakes drop into her red mittens and melt into nothingness. It was cold but she liked being outside, it was not often that she was allowed to leave the house. She shivered as the gusts became more powerful and the snow started to fall harder.

Something made her look up suddenly.

It was the feeling of being watched. She turned her head and looked around but failed to notice anything out of the ordinary. It was just the trees with their bare branches and their coverings of snow. Upon further inspection, the girl noticed a bat dangling from one of the branches above her. How odd to see a bat in this weather…the child took a small step in its direction. With quick flapping of its wings, the bat dislodged itself and flew off, vanishing into the increasingly heavy snowfall. The child stood peering as far as she could into the direction the bat had flown, disappointed it had gone.

“Yuki.”

Upon hearing her name called by the familiar serene voice, the child turned around to see a woman standing some distance away, near the house. The back door was opened, allowing some light to spill outside. The woman’s long hair fluttered in the wind as she beckoned for the child.

“Okaa-sama!” Yuki exclaimed happily and sprinted over, the ends of her coat flapping as she moved.

The woman looked at her with a pensive expression before kneeling down and wrapping her heavy shawl tightly around the child.

“I told you already…I am not your mother, Yuki”, she said quietly before standing back up.

Yuki shook her head stubbornly and embraced the woman, although she was only tall enough to reach her hip and buried her face into the soft fabric with the familiar scent of cherry blossoms.

“Okaa-sama,” she repeated insistently, hugging the woman tighter as if afraid the woman would disappear if she let go.

 _What a tenacious child_ , thought the woman. She sighed and patted the child’s head.

“Let’s go back inside, Yuki.”

The child nodded before disengaging her embrace and grabbing the adult’s hand. The two of them headed back towards the house leaving behind the growing snowstorm outside.

* * *

“Oh Kaname-kun, I am so glad you could make it!” gushed Kaien Cross, formerly a vampire hunter and currently a school headmaster. “Here, let me take your coat!”

The youth with the refined demeanor nodded.

“I managed to obtain a day off from dealing with the Senate.”

He took off his grey outer coat and gave it to the bespectacled man with the ash blonde hair in front of him.

“I would not miss her birthday, no matter how busy I may be.”

“Kaname-sama,” a soft girlish voice called in greeting.

Kaname turned to face the girl standing to the side of the doorway. She had grown since he had last seen her. Her dark brown curls now extended to her waist and she was almost tall enough to reach his chest. She smiled at him, her light blue eyes wearing a gentle expression that suggested a maturity beyond her years.

That smile and those blue eyes, they always made him feel a bitter nostalgia. They bought back undesirable memories of his failures both from the distant past and the more recent past. She was the only one left now, the other child had long perished. He had to protect her with everything he had, even if it cost him his life. This was his atonement. Feeling a lump rise in his throat, he forced aside the thoughts of the distant past. He smiled back at her and strode over to envelop her in an embrace.

“Yoko,” he murmured, feeling her small warmth against him.

Sometimes he just felt so tired, as if heavy invisible weights had been chained to him. Being with her, he felt a little lighter and less alone. If only he could stay like this forever.

* * *

“She has been doing very well like I told you in my letters, Kaname-kun. You shouldn’t worry so much, she is a very bright and responsible child,” Kaien informed the sullen youth sitting across from him.

It was after the birthday dinner, and having helped clear away the table, Yoko had been sent to bed after bidding Kaname goodnight.

Kaname swirled the dark tea in the porcelain teacup absentmindedly.

“Yes, I heard Yoko was doing very well in her studies, being top of the class and all. That is not what has been bothering me though.”

Kaien sipped his tea slowly, before setting his cup down on the table to regard Kaname, who appeared to have something on his mind.

“Are you talking about that man? Did you discover something about his whereabouts?”

Kaname curled his free hand into a tight fist at the mention of that man. Whenever he thought about what happened six years ago an ominous rage always surged in him. With a sharp sound, the rim of his cup chipped, a jagged crack crept down the cup, and tea oozed out onto his hand before dripping onto the uncarpeted wooden floor. The touch of the warm liquid pulled him back from being consumed by his rage, reminding him of the necessity of controlling his emotions so to not accidentally injure those around him. He could not put Yoko in danger, and he also did not want her to see him like this.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, with his eyes cast down, avoiding the concerned and pitying look Kaien cast at him.

“What happened that night wasn’t your fault Kaname, you need to stop blaming yourself,” Kaien shook his head lightly before continuing. “Juri and Haruka wouldn’t want you to be consumed by guilt like this”.

“If you tell me that, it only makes me feel worse,” Kaname replied, a bitter smile gracing his lips.

“I failed to protect what they held dearest,” he murmured almost as if to himself, “I was helpless to stop that depraved descendant of mine from shattering their happiness once again.”

* * *

**[Flashback Scene]**

The fierce wintry winds were cold enough to chill one to the bone, blowing snow everywhere. In front of an ancient and stately manor located deep in the mountains, a crowd had gathered, standing firm despite the harsh weather. They waited silently for orders from their master, who was standing in front, observing the couple blocking the entrance of the manor.

“I am amazed you were able to escape the guards of the Senate, older brother.”

Haruka glared down from the top of the stairs at the sight of the man that had once been his respected older brother but was now his unforgivable enemy.

Juri stood behind him, also somberly staring at the man she despised so much. She had trusted him and he had betrayed her trust in the worst possible way.

Rido regarded the two of them from his position a few meters away and grinned darkly.

“You shouldn’t be surprised, you knew that I would return one day for your princesses that you’ve tried to hide away.”

Upon hearing his words, Juri dropped her cool façade and screamed, “You bastard! Taking my children away again!”

Eyes glowing with fury she glared at him, ready to pounce on him and tear him to pieces. As she stepped forward Haruka blocked her, shaking his head and looking at her with a sad but meaningful expression.

“Juri…let me take care of this,” he caressed her cheek softly. “What you wanted to do for the children, now is the time.”

The fiery anger was replaced with forlorn loneliness, knowing it was finally time to bid farewell to the one that had been at her side for all these long centuries of her life. With tears stinging her eyes, she rested her head against his chest, feeling his warm, protective arms around her for the last time. Ignoring the crew of assailants observing them in their last moments, she turned his head towards her and drew him into a kiss.

“Having spent my life with you, surrounded by your love and even being blessed with our three children, I am thankful.” She smiled at him, her eyes conveying all her sincerity.

She then broke away from him, heading back into the manor after having captured the final image of Haruka smiling gently back at her.

* * *

Kaname looked up from the crib he was standing guard over as he heard Juri open the door to the nursery. He had been unsuccessfully trying to soothe the two crying babies lying inside. Juri hurried over and regarded them sadly. She had to make a difficult choice, but there was no other way. Sensing the reassuring presence of their mother, the twins gradually started to quiet down and looked up at her, gurgling happily.

Turning to address the boy who looked like he was only around the tender age of 5, she knelt down to meet him at eye level.

“Kaname…I am sorry. I wanted so much to give you and the girls a normal life in which you all could laugh and cry without care, unrestrained by the conventions that shackle us.”

He looked at the gentle woman smiling sadly at him, with a pleading expression in her eyes.

“No, don’t apologize,” he protested. “You have already done enough, raising me as your-,” he was cut off by her kissing him on the cheek.

“You are our son no matter what,” she insisted softly then continued. “I wanted to raise my children and live as a happy family until you are all adults, but now I can no longer stay and watch over you all.”

His eyes widened at the realization of what she was about to do.

“Please, even though it is my selfish request, watch over both of the girls...even if one of them will no longer be your sister.”

“Don’t do this, we should escape together for now and plan-,” once again he was interrupted, this time by her placing a finger over his lips.

“Please don’t stop me Kaname, this is the final decision that Haruka and I have arrived at.”

He looked down at his shoes, feeling sorrow he had not felt in a long time, sorrow that he had escaped from ever since he had been reborn as their child.

Juri rose up and looked at her twin daughters, who looked back at her curiously, unsure what was happening but vaguely aware something was wrong. If only she could do this for the both of them…but it was one life for another, a law she could not change. Steeling her heart, she prepared for her final gift to her youngest child. She could only hope that the child older by less than a quarter of an hour could live as wonderful a life as a pureblood could.

“I’m sorry, Yuki and Yoko…mother can no longer be with you,” she whispered as the sealing spell started.

She held Yoko’s small hand in her grasp, feeling its warmth against her one last time.

Kaname looked away, not wanting to see the bloody ending of the sealing spell, his heart aching.

“Please…live on happily…”

With those last words, Kaname heard and smelled the torrent of blood that burst forth followed soon by the clinking sounds of her crystalline remains shattering into a million pieces. He closed his eyes tightly and swallowed the lump in his throat. He then turned back to the crib, looking at the two babies, Yuki was crying inconsolably while Yoko had a dazed expression. He picked Yoko up carefully, this girl was no longer his sister, she was to be a normal mortal from now on. He had to hurry and get them both away from Rido and his henchmen now. In his current state he had recovered his memories but not even half of his original power.

* * *

At the very moment he reached for Yuki, the doors to the nursery were slammed wide open by a powerful force which knocked him back against the wall. He cursed himself for having failed to notice Rido drawing closer thanks to the distractions of Juri’s blood permeating the room and the loud wailing emanating nonstop from Yuki. A couple of lower tiered vampires entered the room and scanned it before being followed by their master.

Rido had been injured by Haruka, as evidenced by a large wound to his abdomen and the shredded state of his coat and shirt. Unsurprisingly it was not enough to kill him. After all, he had gained power after committing the sin of devouring his unsuspecting parents who had been resting in a centuries-long slumber in their mausoleum. That and the fact that he had used a hunter weapon in the fight. Kaname scowled at the cowardly tactic, before staggering to his feet cradling Yoko who issued a weak whimper. He could not face Rido in a duel right now, he had to grab Yuki and flee with the power he had left.

Rido stood at the entrance of the room, assessing the scene before his eyes with sadistic glee in his eyes.

Finally, he would devour the remnants of Haruka and Juri’s wretched family, bringing the curtain down on these people he had once loved but now hated so much. Kaname made for the crib as Rido was distracted, staring at the blood-soaked dress that Juri had perished in with an almost pensive expression on his face. However, Kaname’s sudden movement alerted Rido, who quickly bit his finger, forming a whip with his blood and lashing at the boy, causing him to move away from the crib. Kaname gritted his teeth at the sharp sting of being cut but was relieved to see he had sheltered Yoko from the attack. Damn it, if only he was in his real form with all his powers intact– for him the first ancestor of the Kuran family to be so pathetically helpless against his own crazed descendant seemed a cruel joke played by the gods.

“Rido!” he snarled as he stood back up and glowered at the man a few feet before him. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

How he hated his current childish voice, it was an irritating reminder of his sad state.

Rido glanced at him completely undaunted by his warning, and chuckled, “How laughable, the mighty, revered ancestor of our clan reduced to such a state. You can barely protect yourself right now…you should just run away before you lose even that chance.”

Kaname felt the beginning of panic at the growing realization Rido was right. He was cornered, with a real threat to his life. The crib was also too far, he would not be able to grab Yuki and make a run for it. Anxiety coursed through him, something he had not felt since the days when he was the ancestor warring against other purebloods. He hated himself so much at that moment for being so deplorably weak he almost would not mind if Rido killed him on the spot.

Kaname had no choice though; he had to survive.

Even if he had to live with this self-hatred for the rest of his cursed immortal life, he had to protect at least one of the girls that had been left behind. He cast one final regretful glance at the crib and focused the last of his power into one final attack. He charged at Rido, unleashing the attack which had enough force to pierce through the older man, ripping his abdominal wound into an even bigger bloody mess and knocking him back into a wall. Simultaneously, the henchmen in the vicinity were all thrown back and scattered into ash by the powerful force. He looked back one last time to see Rido already staggering back up, his entrails dripping down, and his lower rib bones exposed. Kaname apologized furiously to Juri, Haruka, and Yuki, and ran with all his remaining physical strength, bursting out of the destroyed nursery carrying the crying baby. The other baby’s crying trailed after him, haunting his every step as he escaped into the cover of the snowstorm raging outside.

**[End of Flashback]**

* * *

Kaname was interrupted from his recollections by the feeling of a hand placed on his shoulder. Kaien had moved over while he was distracted and was trying to comfort him. As if he had read his mind, the headmaster sighed and asserted that Kaname had done the best he could given the difficult circumstances. The boy gave up on insisting otherwise and got ready to leave. His ride would be here soon.

As he stood at the door, ready to walk over to the car awaiting him, he turned back to face the headmaster.

“I managed to find out something a while ago. That man’s wife escaped from his manor a few years back.”

Kaien looked at him surprised, recalling that Rido Kuran had always locked up his wife. She was the one pureblood that had never been formally introduced to vampire society, shrouded by mystery and rumors of supposed insanity.

“Whatever her reasons were for fleeing, he is probably trying to search for her at the same time. With his attentions split, we should be able to buy some more time.”

Something in the way the boy had announced the last sentence made the headmaster scrutinize his face. He had been alive for a long time, even if it was only a fraction compared to the "boy" before him, but his instincts told him that his unease was well founded. Ever since Kaname came to him that stormy winter night six years ago, entrusting his only remaining relative to him, the boy had gradually changed. Every time Kaien saw him, the darkness lurking in the boy’s eyes seemed to have grown stronger and more desperate, reminding Kaien of himself in the past.

“Kaname…what are you planning?”

The boy gave him an impenetrable look, ignored his question and bid him goodnight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have also posted this fic on FF.net but decided to post it on AO3 in case any readers here are interested.  
> Anyway, this story is as advertised, with an emphasis on family drama and friendship. Thanks for reading, any reviews would be appreciated, and flames will be ignored.


	2. First Meetings

The little girl gathered the snow with her mitten-covered hands and added it to a medium-sized sphere of snow that served as the head of her snowman. She took the slightly crooked carrot she had snuck out from the kitchen and inserted it into the head, completing the face. The last rays of sunlight shone on the blue buttons she had used for the eyes, and they shimmered. Standing back and admiring her work, she decided to go back and bring her mother to see her masterpiece. But she would have to wait for a while, because her mother was probably still not awake.

“That’s an ugly snowman.”

Yuki spun around and nearly bumped into the boy who had somehow snuck up behind her undetected. Shocked, with eyes wide and mouth open she stared at the stranger who looked only a few years older than her. He was wearing a big black hat with a red band and an old-fashioned black jacket. Under his hat she could see that his hair was a light golden-orange color and his eyes were a light green like the leaves she had seen shining under the bright afternoon sun in summer. Had she not heard his voice first, she might have mistaken him for a girl with his thick eyelashes and beautiful features. Her instincts informed her the boy was a vampire, although he was suppressing much of his aura.

“Wh-who are you?!” she overcame her shock and stared at the strange boy with a distrustful expression.

Yuki thought about running back to the house to the safety of her mother but hesitated. Unfortunately, the house was quite a distance away, she should have stayed closer like her mother had instructed. She had only come this far because the garden was too crowded with branches and other plant material for her to build her snowman. Yuki observed the boy and decided to not worry so much. He was only a kid like her, so he probably was not anyone dangerous. A part of her was also curious, this being the first time she met someone close to her age.

“Hmm, I don’t need to give my name to a brat like you,” he replied as he walked past her and examined the snowman closer.

Shocked at his rudeness, she clenched her fists at her side and countered, “You’re just a brat too!”

He turned towards her, an obviously annoyed expression on his face, and looked as if was debating something fiercely in his head before he spoke again.

“I am going to let that slide because I am not interested in hitting a weakling baby like you. And also, I am much older than you, so you better know your place, brat.”

“My name is not brat, its Yuki, and I am not a baby! I am 6 years old!” She indignantly replied. “You don’t look that much older than me anyway, so if I am a baby you are a toddler!”

The boy looked even more irritated than before and glared hard at her for a few seconds before turning back to the snowman.

“Count your lucky stars that you are still a kid or else I would’ve killed you. I am not going to even bother explaining because a baby like you wouldn’t understand anyway.”

Yuki felt like arguing with the boy but stopped, he had already threatened her… Maybe she should really run back home now and tell her mother. He was rude and it was not fun talking to him, even if he was also a kid like her. However, she hesitated again due to sheer curiosity, it was exciting to meet someone else, she only knew her mother, Aoi, and Erina-san.

Trying to forget his earlier impolite comments, she walked a bit closer to him.

“Where are you from?” she asked, wondering how this stranger had ended up at this place very few people passed by.

She, her mother and Aoi had settled here after meeting Erina-san, who owned the land and its surrounding acres. Before this they had constantly moved around from one town to another, never staying in one location for longer than three weeks. 

“Somewhere far away,” he replied mysteriously, still facing the snowman.

Yuki was about to press him for details when she saw him extend his hand and pluck one of the blue buttons out.

Protesting, she tried to retake the button from his hand, but he was taller than her and he held it out of her reach.

“That’s Mr.Snowman’s eyes! Give it back!”

Ignoring her demands, he gave her a mean smirk, as if enjoying her reactions.

“I am going to tell my mother!”

Yuki felt the tears coming to her eyes and sniffled in frustration. Her mother was strong and would teach him a lesson so unforgettable he would regret taking her button.

Looking at the girl’s teary eyes and flushed face, the boy scrunched his face, disgusted. He hated weak crybabies like her, but he was concerned that she would go tattle on him. Shizuka was undoubtedly stronger than him, being many years his senior, and she probably would not take too kindly to him messing with her daughter.

Having observed the girl from the distance ever since his bat familiar chanced upon her in the snow a few weeks ago, he had also glimpsed her mother. Although he had never met her before, he soon pieced together the clues and identified her as Shizuka Hiou. The Hiou clan members all had the same snowy white hair and tendency to wear traditional Japanese clothing. He remembered hearing from his sources a while back that she had fled from her husband and that the Senate had sent their watchdogs to find her but had paid it no mind then.

Even though he was always bored (like most of his kind) and looking for new sources of entertainment, he was not interested in the marital disputes of his fellow purebloods – that was too crude. Besides, he hated the Senate, those old clowns that tried to restrict the purebloods despite their inferiority, so he was not inclined to rat Shizuka out. Additionally, he disliked the Kurans, they had always maintained their distance, acting as if they were better than the other pureblood clans even though their ancestors had once been comrades in war. On principle alone, anything the Kurans supported, he would oppose. If Rido Kuran was annoyed by his wife’s escape, then all the more reason for he, Shizuku Toma, to turn a blind eye.

He had not expected to find a pureblood child all the way out here and had kept an eye on her mostly due to curiosity and partly because he had nothing better to do. It was the most interesting thing he had come across in a while, and he was not ready to let it end so soon with being discovered by Shizuka. That was why he had suppressed his aura as much as he could and had only approached the girl when she was alone and quite far from her mother. He would have to find a way to prevent her from tattling.

Scowling, he lowered his hand and thrusted the button back to the girl. She tried to stop sniffling and took the button, placing it back into its indentation on the snowman’s face.

“I knew you were a baby, only babies go running to their mommies whenever things don’t go their way,” he commented casually, taking advantage of her obvious offense at being belittled for her age.

She curled her small lips into an upset frown, “I’m not a baby! I’m a big girl. Mother doesn’t have to tuck me into bed anymore!”

Hearing her last sentence, Shizuku scoffed. _Good grief, he really was dealing with a baby here._ But then again, he was not much better, messing with the baby when he was already almost a century old (though that was technically still very young for a pureblood). He really was bored.

“If you are not a baby, then are you going to tell your mom?” He asked, cornering her into the answer he wanted.

She looked conflicted for a moment, before replying no hesitantly.

“Fine, then I will acknowledge you as a big girl.”

She nodded, satisfied he was not calling her a baby anymore.

He examined the child in front of him, she had tawny brown hair and eyes, coloring typical of the Kurans.

“You don’t look like your mother at all,” he stated casually, “I guess you look like your father.”

“I don’t know, I never met my father,” she replied before seeming to quickly regret her answer.

With a guilty expression on her face, she covered her mouth with her hands, as if she could stuff the words back in.

Shizuku was intrigued, despite his earlier alleged disinterest in Rido’s marital drama. He could not help but wonder why Shizuka took their kid and ran. Maybe she had finally had enough of his philandering? Sources had also informed him that Rido was involved with quite a few noble vampire women, all daughters of families that were pro-Senate.

Well, Shizuku would not judge the man for his affairs, it was not uncommon practice for pureblood men to be involved with level B women. In fact, it was one of the unspoken expectations that they help maintain the noble class by creating half-pureblood children, alleviating the slow dilution of their vampiric blood along the generations. He himself had no interest in such things though, for various reasons.

As if trying to change the topic to cover up her earlier blunder, the girl dropped her hands and countered, “Why is it any of your business anyway? You didn’t even tell me your name though I told you mine. It’s not fair!”

Seeing the girl pouting at him like the child she was, he scoffed again. Fine, he will throw her a bone in exchange for her secrecy.

“I’ll grant you the knowledge of my name only if you can promise to keep me a secret from everyone, including your mom.”

Yuki was conflicted once more. She had never kept a secret from her mother, it felt wrong. But if she did not agree, she would not learn his name and probably would never see him again. He was the only other kid she had met, and although he was mean, he had stopped calling her a baby and had given her back the button in the end…

Seeing her undecided expression, Shizuku gave her an extra push in the desired direction.

“Well, I guess I was wrong. You are a baby after all, I should have known you couldn’t keep a secret.”

The girl gasped in protest, and blurted, “Fine, I promise! I’ll show you I’m old enough to keep secrets!”

Shizuku smirked, this was so easy he was practically taking candy from a baby. Well, this was not exactly something he should be proud of, but it was certainly entertaining, and he had always been mischievous even way back when he was really a kid.

“Alright. My name is Shizuku, but you will address me as Shizuku-sama.”

“Shizuku?” The girl tilted her head to the side as if processing the information, before smiling widely as though it were funny. “What a girly name.”

Hearing her words, he scowled, wanting to knock her in the head. This was not the first time he had heard this though; he could only blame his mother for her naming choices.

“Shut up brat, what would do you know? And its Shizuku-sama to you!” He snapped, annoyed the girl had forgotten the honorific, who did she think she was? Acting as though they were the same age.

He was going to lecture her further on his superiority to her, but he stopped, remembering the time. The sun was nearly gone, this was the time Shizuka usually came out to beckon the girl back. He should leave before she detected him, or his fun would be over.

Glancing at the girl who was looking back at him with curiosity evident in her large eyes, he decided to bid her farewell for now.

“I have to go now, I have important matters to attend to.”

“But you are just a kid, what important things do you have to do?”

She was really starting to get on his nerves, though he supposed this was partly his own fault for maintaining the appearance of a kid. _Patience, restraint, forgiveness_ , he reminded himself.

“You wouldn’t understand, so I am not going to waste time telling you. Anyway, I’m leaving.”

He prepared to disperse into a flock of bats and fly home but stopped when he felt her touch his elbow. This brat really had some nerve getting all touchy with him like they were close.

“When will I see you again?”

Seeing her earnest expression, his irritation melted just the tiniest bit and he decided to give her an answer.

“Well, since you are so eager to see me again, I’ll try to clear my busy schedule and visit in a week or two. But I cannot promise anything, I am swamped with work being the important person I am.”

Before Yuki could further inquire about his employment and importance, he transformed into a flock of bats and flew off, leaving the girl staring after him open-mouthed below.

* * *

Yuki stared after the bats until they completely disappeared beyond her view. It had been so exciting to meet another kid, even if he was more than a little mean. She wanted to see him again and maybe next time he would give her his big black hat so she can put it on Mr. Snowman. She turned to face the snowman again and decided to add some more snow to its body. As she patted the snow flat, she heard a faint voice, it was getting louder and closer.

“Yuki, where are you?”

Ah, it was her mother’s voice, and she sounded upset. Yuki shivered, her mother was angry and was probably going to lecture her. What if she decided to ground her? Oh no, she could not let that happen, playtime was her favorite part of the day. Gulping, she quickly ran towards the voice.

Her mother was wearing a dark blue dress and was barefoot even though snow still covered the frozen ground. Yuki hurried over, almost running into her mother’s legs. She stopped, clutching the fabric of the dress, and gazed up at the adult who wore a stern and displeased expression.

“Yuki, why are you all the way out here when I told you to stay near the house?”

Her mother’s voice was frosty, and Yuki looked away from her beautiful but frighteningly incensed face.

“I-I wanted to build a snowman and there was not enough space there.”

Shizuka glared at the girl who was looking down at the snow. The child was really going to give her a migraine.

“What if you got snatched away by dangerous people just because you wanted to build a snowman? Do you know what happens to naughty little girls like you?”

Her mother was so scary right now, her aura so cold and dark that Yuki could not help but start to cry. The tears formed large and warm and rolled off her cheek, one after another, followed soon by sniffling and sobbing.

At the sight of the loudly sobbing girl, Shizuka sighed and forced herself to abate her anger and calm her anxiety. 

“I-I wa-wanted to build a sn-sn-snowman for Okaa-sama, to make you ha-happy since you we-were sad and looking outsi-side the win-win-window a-again,” Yuki managed to choke out despite her sobbing.

Shizuka’s eyes widened upon hearing those words and her ire vanished rapidly. She should have not appeared that way before the child, but Yuki who should have been sleeping then had apparently caught her in one of her morose moods. Softening her expression, she knelt down and embraced the crying girl, gently stroking her hair.

“Don’t cry anymore Yuki. It is alright now.”

She picked up the girl who wrapped her small arms around her and tried to stop her tears. The child always calmed down quicker when she carried her, a habit she had kept despite not being a baby anymore.

“Let’s go back now.”

Yuki shook her head and sniffled, “You didn’t see the snowman yet Okaa-sama.”

Shizuka relented and let the girl direct her over to her handiwork. It was a cute looking snowman, though its eyes were clearly lopsided, the nose was placed a little too low, and the twigs serving as arms were vastly different in size. Her daughter looked at her expectantly, waiting for her assessment.

“It looks nice, Yuki. I can see you put a lot of effort into it.”

Hearing the praise, Yuki smiled widely, beaming at her mother, her previous misery replaced with joy.

“I knew it wasn’t ugly! He-,” Yuki caught herself in the nick of time, eyes wide with fear that she had almost revealed her secret by accident. What would her mother do if she had slipped up?

Shizuka looked at the girl, puzzled, “He?”

She wondered why the girl was making such a face.

“Um, I mean the snowman. It’s a he, he is called Mr.Snowman and he has a family, but I didn’t have time to make them yet.” Yuki looked to the side as she replied, feeling guilty about her secret.

She had certainly meant to build more snowmen – that was true at least. She hoped her mother could not sense her secret; her mother had always been able to read her easily. She gulped and buried her face in her mother’s soft hair, trying to hide her guilty expression.

Shizuka had the slight impression that something was going on but decided not to pursue it – it was probably some trivial blunder the girl had made. Yuki was safe and that was what mattered. She patted the girl’s head and finally put the reluctant girl down.

“I will make his wife tomorrow.” Yuki announced.

Shizuka eyed the girl, amused at her naïve optimism. Did the child really think she would not face consequences just because she was cute?

“Unfortunately, his wife and children will have to wait because you are grounded for a week.”

At that declaration, Yuki opened her mouth to protest but was shut down quickly by the censuring glare of her mother, silently daring her to further challenge her edict. Although Yuki pouted the whole way back, she was comforted by the fact that she had managed to keep her new friend a secret. Hopefully, he will come back when she was no longer grounded. For now, she will start planning what to do when he visited next and maybe figure out his mysterious job…

* * *

The small girl was in the armchair near the blazing fireplace, seated reading a book on famous generals throughout history. Although it was a book for children and came with illustrations and photos, she thought it was a worthwhile read. It was impressive how some people possessed the charisma and ability to lead squadrons of men to face death and win despite the odds. It was even more inspiring when she considered how they were all humans, lacking the strength and speed of vampires like Kaname-sama.

Suddenly the door to the lodge opened and a cold gust carrying some snow blew into the room. Her father was back, and he had returned with guests. She closed her book, putting it onto the coffee table and walked over to the door, where Kaien was ushering two boys around her age in. Before he left a few hours ago, he had informed her that his long-time friends were currently working in the vicinity, and that their children (who were around her age) would be staying with them for a few days.

“Ah, Yoko, this one here on the left is Zero and the one on the right is Ichiru-kun, they are the sons of the Kiryuus, my old friends.”

Yoko nodded, “I am Yoko, nice to meet you, Zero-kun and Ichiru-kun.”

It was her first-time seeing identical twins, the two boys before her really looked like carbon copies of one another, with the same pale violet eyes and silvery hair. They were even dressed in the same outfit, both wearing the same white ear mufflers, gray scarves, and light blue jackets.

Zero and Ichiru looked back at the girl who was supposed to be the headmaster’s daughter. She was as tall as them even though the headmaster had mentioned she was a year younger. She wore her hickory brown curls in a disorganized ponytail and was observing them with her light blue eyes partially hidden behind her messy bangs.

“Hello, nice to meet you too,” the twins replied in perfect sync, causing the headmaster to start gushing about how twins were so mysterious and incredible.

Yoko helped the boys put away their jackets as the headmaster went into the kitchen and asked Momoyama, her caretaker to start setting out the dinner.

“You don’t look like the headmaster at all,” one of them commented casually.

“Ichiru! That is not polite!” the other one quickly chided his twin.

“Oh, it’s alright. I hear that a lot,” Yoko replied unperturbed, retrieving the extra pairs of guest slippers from the shoe rack. “I am adopted after all.”

“Oh,” Ichiru, the one who had been reprimanded uttered, pausing briefly before asking, “What happened to your real parents?”

“Ichiru! You are being too nosy! You should apologize to Yoko,” his twin chided him again.

Although Yoko still had trouble telling them apart based on appearance, it was not hard to distinguish them based on their words and actions. Zero was the one who acted the big brother, keeping his younger twin in line while Ichiru was the one asking all sorts of personal questions and clinging to his twin’s arm.

“Its fine, Ichiru-kun is just curious,” she spoke as she led them over to the couch where they would chat until dinner was announced. “I don’t know either, father never told me.”

She settled back into her armchair, diagonally facing the twins who were seated on the couch.

“Hmm, so you don’t know if you have any siblings?” Ichiru asked, still pursuing the topic of her unknown heritage.

“No, I could just be a single child.”

“That is unfortunate, you must be lonely then. I am okay though because I am always with Zero- nii,” Ichiru stated before snuggling closer to his older brother.

“That’s nice. You two must be very close,” Yoko replied, neither refuting nor confirming the state of her loneliness.

She did not think she was particularly lonely; she had always preferred being in the comfort of her home reading and excessive socializing made her tired. However, having met Zero and Ichiru and seeing how close they are, a tiny part of her wondered what it would be like to have a twin.

Zero, who was anxious to change the topic before Ichiru could further intrude into the girl’s family matters noticed the book on the coffee table.

“Do you like reading Yoko-chan?” He asked, indicating the book.

Yoko nodded, “I like the books on history the most, what about you?”

“I like reading about animals and the natural world.”

“You two are both boring, I like the fantasy books, with dragons and witches!” Ichiru announced.

Zero was about to admonish his brother again but stopped when the younger twin suddenly started coughing.

With eyes wide in concern, he quickly patted Ichiru’s back.

“Are you okay Ichiru? Do you feel sick again? You probably got sick from being outside in the cold, I told you to wear the hat with the ear flaps instead!”

The younger twin shook his head as his coughing trailed to a stop.

“I am okay Zero-nii, don’t worry so much,” he replied, though his weak voice and slightly flushed face suggested the opposite.

“We have some medicine for colds and fevers here. Should I go get them Zero-kun?”

“No, it’s okay! I am fine,” Ichiru interrupted before Zero could reply. “I am always like this; I cough a little now and then but then I am fine again soon.”

Zero had his mouth open, about to argue with his younger twin but the headmaster popped his head into the living room at that moment, announcing that dinner was ready.

Ichiru had recovered enough to act like he was completely fine, and to further prove his point, he leapt off the couch and ran over to the headmaster, calling back at the other two, “Come on you guys, you need to stop being so slow!”

Yoko glanced at Zero, who still looked uneasy. She slid off her chair and led Zero into the dining room where everyone else had gathered, the dinner Momoyama cooked was waiting on the table, warm and smelling delicious.

* * *

The next morning, after finishing a quick breakfast of oatmeal and still not seeing the boys, Yoko decided to go knock on their door. Zero opened it and let her in to see Ichiru, who was bedridden with an obvious fever. The younger twin was visibly flushed and had a wet towel placed over his forehead. Feeling the need to be helpful, Yoko went to retrieve the medicine kit and notified her father, who had just awoken.

They all crowded into the guest room, looking at the afflicted Ichiru.

“Zero-kun, go eat breakfast for now, I will take care of Ichiru in the meantime,” the headmaster offered.

Zero shook his head, refusing to leave his brother’s side, “I’m fine, I am not hungry anyway.”

Ichiru waved at his brother to go, mumbling weakly that he was okay with the headmaster there. Zero resisted a while longer before giving in, seeing that Ichiru was not backing down either despite his fatigue.

Yoko accompanied Zero to the kitchen and showed him what the breakfast options were. He ended up choosing oatmeal too and they sat together at the round wooden dinner table.

“Is Ichiru-kun often sick like this? He mentioned that yesterday.”

Zero nodded, a serious yet sad expression on his face. “He has been like that ever since we were born.” In a distracted way, as if forgetting Yoko next to him, he softly murmured “It’s all my fault.”

Yoko looked at Zero, puzzled and slightly wanting to comfort him, but decided not to pursue the topic further. He had enough on his mind already and she did not want to intrude, especially since they had only met yesterday.

* * *

“Otou-san, why does Ichiru get sick so often while Zero seems healthy even though they are identical twins?”

From a scientific viewpoint, Yoko was curious. She had read in a magazine somewhere that identical twins shared many traits, such as having similar IQ scores. As she was taking their customary afternoon stroll together (he always insisted she take a break from reading and “get some fresh air”) she finally asked the question she had been curious about, but was too polite to mention near the presence of Zero. Both boys and Momoyama-san were currently back in the winter lodging that her father owned in the mountains. She and her father came here every winter for their annual one-week winter break, but this was the first time that guests had joined them.

Kaien looked at his daughter in surprise. Then again, he should have been used to her asking such questions by now. He debated how to reply in his head, part of him not wanting to let her know anything more related to vampire hunters, and the other part arguing it would be pointless to hide it from her since she would find out eventually, one way or another given her inquisitive nature.

“Zero-kun seemed to be blaming himself for Ichiru-kun being sick,” Yoko remarked as she stared straight ahead at the path they were on.

Hearing that statement made Kaien sigh, he too had seen how concerned Zero was over his younger brother and was not shocked to discover that the boy blamed himself over something he had no control over.

“Yoko-chan…” he hesitated a little but decided to go and tell her anyway. “Zero and Ichiru are born into a vampire-hunting family like I was.”

The girl nodded briefly, unsurprised since pretty much everyone her father knew had some connection to the Hunter Association.

“Even though having twins is a happy occurrence for most people, for hunters it is a tragic thing. That is because the babies compete inside their mother even before they are born, with the weaker baby dying. Zero and Ichiru are the first twins to both be born alive in hunter history.”

“Why are hunter twins different like that?”

Kaien sighed again, of course his bright daughter would sense that he had left something out of his abridged explanation.

“The hunters say it is a curse, punishment for our origins.”

The girl looked up at him, silently urging him to continue his story. Although she read plenty of history books, they were always about normal human history, with no mention of the hunters and the vampires.

“Vampire hunters came to be a long, long time ago, a little after the time the first vampires appeared. Before hunters existed, many humans lived in fear of bad vampires. Humans were helpless when facing vampires who were stronger and quicker than them. One day, a female pureblood vampire sacrificed herself to allow a number of humans to gain the powers needed for destroying vampires, including purebloods like her.”

“Sacrifice?” Yoko held her breath, completely caught in the story. She was always intrigued by the history concerning hunters and vampires.

“She gave her blood and life to the hunters. And because we took her life and blood, hunter twins are cursed in exchange.”

Kaien looked at the snowy path glistening under his boots, remembering his own lonely and violent past, it was not just twins that were cursed.

Seeing her father’s abnormally pensive expression, Yoko slipped her hand into his, giving it a soft squeeze. He was momentarily startled by her gesture and smiled briefly before returning to his usual demeanor. He was not the Kaien Cross of the past anymore, now he was just this girl’s father and a school headmaster.

* * *

A few nights later, Yoko opened the door to find Kaname on their doorstep.

“Kaname-sama! What are you doing here?” She was happy but surprised to see him.

“I was in the vicinity and had time to pay a quick visit,” he smiled as he ruffled her messy hair and stepped into the warm lodging.

“Kaname, glad you could make it!” Kaien had appeared, a mug of hot chocolate still in his hands as he welcomed his guest.

He had sent a letter informing Kaname that he and Yoko were in the area on their annual winter break, but had not received a reply, leaving him unsure if the youth would be visiting or not. It would be interesting to see how this played out, with his two other guests still staying with them.

Zero had sensed the presence of a vampire, one that overwhelmed his hunter senses, and had known instinctively that it was a pureblood, despite never having met one before. He knew the headmaster had sensed the vampire too, but strangely he had not seemed agitated. In fact, he had turned to him, and reassured him that it was someone he knew.

Zero now peeked out into the living room at the newcomer, his stomach still knotted with worry despite what the headmaster had told him. The pureblood appeared to be in his early adolescence, and had dark brown hair and eyes, beautiful in the way that he had heard all purebloods were. Zero was not fooled by the pureblood’s unnatural beauty though, they were dangerous creatures with frightening powers. He could not believe how friendly Yoko and the pureblood were.

Kaname noticed the boy staring at him warily from behind the headmaster and sensed that the boy was born into a hunter lineage like the headmaster was.

“Oh, you seem to have another guest already,” Kaname pasted a small but polite smile on his face, nodding at the boy.

At that very moment, an excited boyish voice called out, “Zero! Who is the newcomer?”

A few seconds later, a copy of the boy appeared, except his hair was damp and he was already in his pajamas, clearly having just gotten out of the shower. The first boy, Zero, stopped his twin before he could rush past him, pulling the second boy behind him protectively. The second boy stood next to his twin and looked at Kaname curiously, wondering why Zero was reacting like that.

“Ichiru, that boy is a pureblood vampire.”

“Oh…” The younger twin’s eyes widened temporarily, before his expression switched to a sadly contemplative one, “I couldn’t even tell.”

Yoko looked from Zero and Ichiru back to Kaname and froze when she saw Kaname’s expression. He was looking at the twins with a startling intensity and was clearly shocked, given his wide eyes and partly opened mouth. She had never seen him so unsettled before, but before she could ask him what was wrong, he had recovered, his usual polite but unreadable expression back in place.

“Kaname-kun, would you like to join us for some hot chocolate?” The headmaster quickly interrupted the silence.

“Thank you for the offer, but my car is waiting. I still have a lot of Senate matters to deal with, so I will be going now.”

Kaname turned to the twins, “It was nice meeting you, Zero and Ichiru. I hope you two get along well with Yoko.”

The twins did not respond, but merely kept staring at him.

He finally turned to Yoko, “Sorry, but I have to go now. I promise I will visit within the next two upcoming months though.”

“Kaname-sama, take care of yourself and don’t overwork,” Yoko hugged him, disappointed he was leaving so soon but accepting that he was a busy person.

He smiled gently and patted her head once more before opening the door and walking out into the cold wintry night, thoughts swirling madly in his mind. The hunter lineage actually gave birth to two live twins…He turned to look back at the wooden lodging, the warm light spilling out of the windows onto the dark snow outside. It seems that he might have chanced upon an answer to the problem he was desperately trying to solve…

* * *

The next day, as the three kids played around outside in the snow, with Ichiru bundled up in so many layers he was having difficulty walking (at his older twin’s insistence), Zero decided to ask what had been on his mind all night. The three of them had just paused to rest on top of a gentle slope, which Ichiru decided was fit for his purposes. He climbed onto the red wooden sled he had been dragging, and took off, snow flying up behind him as he shot to the bottom, leaving the other two behind.

“Yoko, that pureblood from yesterday…” Zero looked down at the white snow under his boots before continuing, “You should not be too close with him.”

Yoko glanced at the concerned boy, understanding his perspective as someone from a hunter family. It was only logical for him to be distrustful of Kaname, who was a pureblood vampire and thus his enemy of the highest order. Hunters only existed to kill vampires after all…

“I have known Kaname-sama ever since I can remember, and he has always been kind like an older brother to me.”

“That is strange though, why would a pureblood be so close with a normal human?”

It just did not make sense to Zero, no matter how he thought about it. From what his parents had told him, purebloods were elitist and kept to themselves even amongst the vampires. They were rarely encountered, except at the occasional vampire soiree during which the Hunter Association would dispatch some hunters to ensure the vampires were not plotting something under the guise of a social dance.

His parents, despite having been active hunters all their lives, had only seen a total of three purebloods, all at soirees, and had never fought one. If they had had to fight one, Zero wondered if he and Ichiru would be orphans instead – even a single pureblood was dangerous enough to require a gang of highly trained hunters to injure them, much less kill.

“Yes…I’ve wondered about that too. Perhaps Kaname-sama is just lonely since he lost his parents and doesn’t have any family left.”

Zero examined Yoko while recalling the memory of the brunet pureblood, and suddenly what had unsettled him deeply, but he had been unable to put into words last night finally hit him.

“You look a lot like him, Yoko.”

The more he thought about the similarities in their physical appearances, the more his suspicions grew. Their hair was almost the same shade of brown and their facial features resembled each other’s. If Yoko had less curly hair and brown eyes instead of blue eyes, she would undeniably look like a younger, female version of the pureblood.

“Hm? Is that so? Maybe its just because we both have brown hair, but that’s a pretty common hair color after all.”

Yoko had never really noticed her resemblance to Kaname-sama until Zero had pointed it out.

“Besides, even if I do look like him, it’s just mere coincidence. After all, I am human, and he is a pureblood vampire.”

She was right – their resemblance could not indicate any familial relationship. If they really were related, Yoko would have to be a vampire, which she clearly was not. Still, it was uncanny how strong their resemblance was…

“Zero…” she spoke his name hesitantly, “Will you quit being my friend if I insist on staying close with Kaname-sama?”

He glanced at her, Yoko was staring at him with worried and expectant eyes.

“Of course not, that is between you and him, just like our friendship is only between you and me.”

He smiled and patted her on the shoulder to reassure her, meaning every word of what he had said. Yoko was a kind girl after all, throughout the week she had helped him look after Ichiru, despite how offensively blunt Ichiru could be. It was both Zero and Ichiru’s first time getting so close to someone else around their age, since their family always moved around thanks to his parent’s profession, and never really had time to settle down and make friends. Besides, it was the pureblood he was wary of, not her. If the pureblood ever decided to harm her, Zero decided he would protect her.

Yoko’s face lightened up, and she smiled shyly in response, “Thanks, I’m really glad to hear that.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Ichiru hollering at them from down below, where he was waving excitedly.

“Hey! You two! Get down here already! Why are you two leaving me alone when we are supposed to be playing as a group!”

“We are coming!” Zero yelled back at his brother.

He climbed onto the remaining sled, and extended a hand to Yoko, who took it and climbed on behind him. The two of them then sledded down the snowy hill, rejoining his younger twin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: To help readers, I want to clarify that in this AU, there are many points which diverge from canon.  
> For one, Shizuka ends up as Yuki’s adoptive mother, due to circumstances which I am going to explain in a prequel series I have planned, but won’t be releasing until maybe the end of the first arc, so if any readers are interested, please keep an eye out for that. As for any readers that find Shizuka OOC here, I have always interpreted her character in canon to be more tragic than anything, she was never actually evil, but driven by cruel fate to take a misguided revenge. Although she can be cruel, she had another side which treated Ichiru gently in canon.
> 
> Another divergent point is that Shizuka and Rido are married in this AU, not just engaged like in canon. Furthermore, her ex-human lover does not exist in the AU.
> 
> Shizuku Toma is the boyish pureblood vampire in the manga that attacked Yuki outside the cemetery and is likely the main antagonist of Vampire Knight Memories. I have always been curious why he looks like a boy despite supposedly being older than Yuki’s original brother. Since Hino never explained his character much, and might not ever bother to, I will be writing him like an OC and coming up with some background story for him. BTW, I based his coloring off Emma from The Promised Neverland, haha.
> 
> Finally, in regard to the Yoko section of the story, Zero does not hate vampires like he does in canon because the Shizuka incident doesn’t happen in this AU. And Momoyama is not an OC, she is the elderly lady that helped Kaien take care of Yuki in the manga. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own VK, just this fic and the OCs.


	3. Training

As the last rays of the sun slowly faded away, the young girl who looked to be around the age of 9 charged towards her opponent with her weapon raised. With a loud thwack, her wooden sword was knocked out of her hands and she was sent stumbling down onto the grass. Her opponent, an adult woman lowered her own _bokken_ before kneeling down and helping the girl up. She carefully brushed off the bits of grass and dirt that had gotten onto the pleated fabric of the girl’s _hakama_.

“Yuki, you need to practice the timing of your swing more – it needs to be faster.”

The girl nodded reluctantly. She did not enjoy sword practice, but it was much preferable to the academic work her mother made her do. Whenever she saw numbers her head spun, history was a confusing muddle, science was too theoretical, and literature both befuddled and bored her. Being a properly educated lady as her mother firmly insisted was not fun. Yuki preferred running around instead of sitting still for hours trudging through texts way beyond her comprehension. However, her mother had also somehow found ways to make her one physical subject difficult.

Feeling frustrated due to hunger and exhaustion from hours of sword practice, she could not resist adding, “Mother is just too strong though, you always send me flying!”

It really was startling how much her mother’s refined feminine grace belied her dexterity with the sword. Anyone seeing her hold a sword for the first time would be in for a shock. Although she had heard from Aoi that her mother came from a family renowned for their skill with the katana, she wished her mother would ease up on her.

The woman saw the slight pout on the girl’s face and frowned disapprovingly. She often wondered at the adamant childishness the girl displayed, most of their kind were unlikely to behave thus at this age. After all, they were subjected to strict discipline and expectations given their backgrounds as the rulers of the vampire race. Perhaps she was too indulgent in the way she had raised this child.

“I am already holding back, but a real enemy would not.” She caressed the girl’s cheek lightly before continuing, “Yuki, you must get stronger so you can protect yourself. One day I will no longer be by your side.”

Upon hearing the last sentence, Yuki frowned and clamped her arms around the woman, holding her in a tight embrace. Shizuka sighed, knowing her daughter hated it whenever she mentioned that, and always responded like she did now. She gently patted the girl’s small back.

“Let us end practice for the day, Aoi is probably waiting for us back inside.”

Yuki nodded, her cheek rubbing against her mother’s before finally letting go. Shizuka pondered the girl’s attachment to her, she had been this way ever since Rido had thrust her as a crying baby into her arms all those years ago.

Seeing Yuki still pouting a little, Shizuka smiled slightly and added, “There is the _dango_ with red bean paste that you like so much waiting for you.”

Hearing those words, the girl immediately perked up at the thought of sweets. Her face lit up with a wide smile, forgetting all her previous negativity. Despite her earlier concern over the girl’s childish personality, Shizuka could not help but think this was part of the girl’s charm and was what made her adorable. Part of her was glad that this child was able to act her age, unlike herself when she had been a child a long time ago.

Yuki latched on happily to her mother’s arm and they headed back towards the brick cottage partially obscured by its sprawling wall of ivy and the thick foliage of the surrounding garden.

* * *

The clashing sounds of the wooden rods sparring against one another filled the brick-lined courtyard. The young girl deftly dodged the rod about to strike her on the right and countered with a quick jab that squarely hit the boy in his chest, sending him staggering a few steps back.

“Zero!” Ichiru who had been sitting on the bench observing the match stood up, concerned for his older brother.

“Okay, that’s all for this match, once again Yoko wins,” Kaien announced, clapping his hands.

“Kiryuu-kun, are you alright?” The young girl hurried over to the boy, who quickly nodded his head.

“It’s not a big deal, I’m fine.” The boy with the pale violet eyes and silver hair smiled to reassure her. “You’ve gotten better again since the last time.”

“That’s just because Zero-nii doesn’t primarily use the staff, if it was a competition of shooting, he would win,” interjected Ichiru, who had made his way over to examine his twin for injury.

“Yes, Ichiru is right,” Yoko smiled, drawing a strand of her wild dark curls back behind her ear. Her ponytail was starting to loosen thanks to the physical activity.

“Yoko – despite how ladylike you look you are like a muscled barbarian with the staff,” Ichiru stated, only half teasingly. “You were probably a Viking in your previous life.”

Yoko only smiled lightly in response, unoffended by the younger twin’s remark. This was the usual dynamic between the three of them. Ever since she had met them a year ago, their parents being old friends of the headmaster’s, they had hung out quite often (whenever Ichiru was not bedridden).

Zero was the older, more serious brother while Ichiru was the younger and more mischievous one. Although Ichiru knew how to behave charmingly when he so desired, he had a mean playful streak, unlike Zero who was more stoic and straitlaced. The two brothers were quite close and protective of each other, so Yoko was not affected at all by Ichiru’s light verbal jab. After all, they were the only friends she had. She was also close with Kaname-sama, but she would not exactly consider him a friend…

Seeing his remarks bounce off her like water off a duck’s back, Ichiru couldn’t help quipping, “Yoko is no fun at all! She is so mature it is as though there is old man on the inside instead of an innocent young girl.”

“Ichiru – that is rude.” Zero chided his younger brother, “You should be the one acting more mature, we are a year older after all.”

Ichiru pouted at being reprimanded by his brother before shaking it off with a laugh to signal he had not intended his comments to be malicious.

Kaien watched the three kids and smiled, appreciating the mundane joys of their peaceful life. When he was young, he never would have thought he would one day live a violence-free life, like a normal civilian. He had expected to die on the job, finally done in by one of the vampires he made a living killing.

“Yoko, good job with the spar.” He praised his adoptive daughter, who smiled politely in response.

Sighing, he was reminded of how she was too courteous and restrained, even with her family. Kaien could not help but agree with Ichiru, his daughter really seemed to harbor the personality of a genteel old man. Although she excelled in her studies, it worried him how she did not behave like most girls her age. She didn’t play with the toys he and Kaname gifted her, didn’t read those girly magazines, and didn’t seem to care for the girlish dresses and accessories he bought for her.

Instead he often found her holed up in the library, a somber expression on her face as she slowly forced her way through tomes of history and politics with a dictionary on one hand and an encyclopedia in the other. Even her thought processes were unnaturally precocious and impartial, Kaien felt she could have an amazing career as a judge in the future if she chose to pursue a profession in law. Kaname had once remarked on her personality, musing how she did not resemble Haruka and Juri at all, but rather their infamously serious grandfather who Juri had often complained about.

Despite her muted response, Yoko was glad to hear her father’s approval and glad to know her constant practice had paid off. Although the others thought she was a natural, with the way she tended to excel in whatever she put her mind to, she was not actually as amazing as they thought. She simply compensated for the inborn talent some people seemed to have with unwavering determination. When he thought she was off playing on the school grounds, she had actually been busy mastering the weapon he gave her.

She kept it a secret though because she knew he didn’t like it when she pushed herself too hard, and he would probably scold her for the calluses on her hands and lecture her on how girls her age need to act. Sometimes she felt guilty for the secrets she kept from him and Kaname, she knew they wanted her to act more carefree and “her age” (as her father puts it) but that was just not her personality. However, she did not want to disappoint them, so somewhere along the way, she had started to hide parts of herself.

The headmaster had trained her to use the staff since she was 5 years old, and had given her a rod, which he told her to keep on her at all times. Despite her not being a hunter, her adoptive father had thought it a good idea to have her train with Zero. He had said it was ideal to be prepared in general, in case she would need to protect herself in the future. As he said that, he had worn an uncharacteristically serious expression, but only briefly. Yoko figured it was pointless to pursue the topic further since he always evaded her on certain topics, such as her origins and his own past.

From her own digging and observations though, she knew that he used to be a renowned vampire hunter in the distant past and had been nicknamed “the fangless vampire”. Once, she had even chanced upon the sword with the jagged edges that he had hidden in the compartment under his desk. Despite her sense of propriety, she was curious as to how someone who had once vanquished so many vampires had become one of the few people Kaname, an elite pureblood vampire trusted. Furthermore, she was sure Kaien knew about her parents, given the furtive looks he and Kaname exchanged whenever she bought up her past.

However, Yoko did not want to force her father into telling her, she knew she should respect his privacy and wishes. After all, she owed him – without him taking her in and raising her as his own daughter, she might have lived a much more unfortunate existence. Even though he was not her biological parent, he was the only parent she ever knew. Despite his eccentricities and sometimes crudely comical behavior, he was a good father to her. She also respected the vision he had for his school, the ambition that one day humans and vampires could coexist peacefully.

Having known Kaname all her life, despite only seeing him a handful of times a year, she knew he was good at heart from the way he treated her so warmly. Just because he was a vampire did not mean he could not feel and was a heartless monster. Her father’s vision was not foolish and unattainable like some of his former comrades who occasionally visited implied. For both the headmaster and Kaname’s sake, she would get stronger, becoming someone they did not have to worry over and someone that could help bring that noble vision to life.

Yoko was drawn out of her thoughts by the headmaster, who was telling them that it was time for dinner. She offered to help out in the kitchen, but that idea was quickly and vehemently vetoed by both Ichiru and Zero. The headmaster laughed, remembering there were a few things that his daughter was horrible at. Cooking, as well as the fine arts were certainly not her forte. Despite her efforts, his daughter’s attempts at drawings had not improved since her first scribbles as a toddler. Perhaps this deficiency of skill in cooking and the arts was hereditary in the Kuran family, to this day he still remembered the ghastly taste of the pastries Juri had made and demanded he taste whenever he visited. Zero strongly insisted that he do the cooking with Ichiru aiding him and the four of them headed back into the house as the sun finally set.

* * *

Focusing all her energy and attention, Yuki finally managed to clearly manifest her familiar. The small butterfly flitted weakly at first, but slowly gained momentum and eventually managed to reach the sparrow perched on the tree branch high above. Shizuka smiled approvingly, pleased that the girl had finally managed to bring forth her familiar.

“Look Okaa-sama! I did it, it’s a butterfly!”

The girl was elated, her joy at her achievement evident in her sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks. She was jumping all over the place in her excitement, her beribboned pigtails and the ends of her skirt undulating along with her energetic movements. Shizuka tilted her head back to observe the delicate form of the butterfly, noting how fitting it is that the child’s familiar would take on the shape of an animal that was associated with the light.

A thought struck Yuki and she halted her running and made her way to her mother and shyly nestled next to her on the bench.

“I know why it’s a butterfly,” she stated, looking proudly at the adult’s characteristically calm and unperturbed face.

Not waiting for her mother to ask why, she continued happily, “It’s because it matches mother’s power. Flowers need butterflies!”

She spoke the last sentence as though it were undeniable fact. Her mother had the power to make flowers bloom even in the dead of winter. She never tired of seeing her mother touch a seemingly dead branch and cause buds to sprout and eventually blossom. A few years ago when they were still moving around constantly from town to town, her mother had stopped at the town’s park and made all the hibernating cherry blossom trees bloom, the beautiful explosion of light pink petals had undoubtedly shocked any one that had happened to be strolling by.

Unable to resist the temptation of teasing the girl, Shizuka made a “hmm” sound as if questioning the validity of her statement and cocked her head to the side, “Flowers need birds, bats, bees and other insects too.”

The girl’s self-satisfied expression quickly changed into one of shock. Seeing the adult woman gracefully hide a small laugh behind the sleeve of her lilac kimono, Yuki scrunched her face into a sulk. Her moping was always short-lived though, she did not mind the teasing if her mother laughed in exchange. She vastly preferred it to the distant look tinged with melancholy her mother sometimes showed when she thought Yuki was not looking. That occasional remote look in her mother’s eyes had scared her ever since she was old enough to understand emotions, it always felt as though she would wake up one day and her mother would be gone.

She only had her mother and Aoi in her life, although her mother had told her she had a twin sister and an older brother who were still alive somewhere. However, Yuki did not like thinking about her complicated origins, it reminded her that her mother was not really her mother and that her birth parents had passed away a long time ago. She also disliked the scary knowledge that her uncle who had shattered her original family was still out there searching for them.

Sometimes Yuki was curious about her siblings, especially her twin sister. She wondered how much her younger twin resembled her. What kind of personality did she have? What activities and hobbies did she enjoy? However, since she does not remember them at all it was not a particularly pressing curiosity. Her mother had never met them so she could not tell her anything else about them. Yuki knew she would meet them eventually because her mother had told her that when she was older and stronger, they would go find her siblings.

Although she was excited at the thought of finally meeting them, a part of her was hesitant – questioning what would happen when they were reunited. Would her siblings be as happy to meet her? What if they did not get along? And most importantly, what if her mother left once she found her “real” family?

She was removed from her reverie by the light tap of her mother’s folded fan against her forehead.

“Yuki, it is time for your music lesson.”

The girl immediately grimaced, dreading the upcoming hour of painful _koto_ practice. She enjoyed hearing her mother play music on the long, wooden, stringed instrument that Aoi had somehow managed to smuggle out and take with them even when they were on the run. Her mother was infinitely talented, able to play many long and complex pieces perfectly from memory, but Yuki herself was on the opposite side of the musical spectrum. She had insisted and explained multiple times to her mother that she had not a single musical bone in her, but her mother had always responded with a resolute look, indicating the futility of her protests.

It was not often Yuki experienced her mother’s infamous freezing glare that had had terrorized Aoi so often in the past, when she had been newly assigned to her mistress, but Yuki’s grumbling over her education almost always elicited that response. Somehow even the dying cat sounds she made as she stumbled over all the notes while picking at the wrong strings failed to deter her mother from advancing with her musical education. Perhaps she could escape some of the misery by having her mother extend her demonstrations of the piece, but unfortunately this trick was growing old. Yuki had no choice but to brace herself for the upcoming hour of musical suffering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A koto is a long stringed instrument considered the national instrument of Japan, and given how traditional Shizuka dresses, it seems fitting that she plays this instrument rather than something Western like the violin or piano. Since Yuki is raised by Shizuka in this story, she will be learning the koto and wielding a katana instead of Artemis.


	4. Aspirations

The grandfather clocked ticked away the seconds as the 10-year-old girl nibbled the tip of her pencil and stared with frustration at the chapter she had to read and summarize. The whole book bored her with its antiquated language and themes, even though her mother had said it was a famous work by a long dead foreign author that anyone with a decent education should have read. Yuki would have preferred something with magic, duels, and princesses, instead of this story about some poor orphan who had to labor in a workhouse.

As her eyes skimmed over the words, her eyelids felt heavier and heavier. Perhaps a short five-minute nap was acceptable? She would be refreshed when she awoke and have energy to tackle her assignment. Having validated her sleepiness, she gave in to the drowsiness and drifted off. The next thing she knew, she was awakened by someone pinching her cheeks with a firm grip.

“Eeep!” She yelped as her head sprang up from the book and she turned to see her mother still holding onto her cheeks. “Okaa-sama! It hurts!”

Shizuka finally let go, a frown on her lips as she regarded the girl. She had left her alone for just an hour and came back to see her snoring away, wetting the pages of the book with the saliva leaking from her partly opened mouth. The girl had probably been dreaming about dessert again.

“Pleasant dreams, Yuki?” Shizuka inquired in a tone indicating her obvious displeasure.

Yuki rubbed her still sore cheek and smiled meekly in response. A glance at the clock informed her that her five-minute nap had turned into a thirty-minute nap…time had a way of passing abnormally fast or slow when one is asleep.

“Okaa-sama, don’t be so mad, it was just a short nap. I am refreshed and ready to work on the assignment now.” Yuki tried to mollify her.

Shizuka had settled into the chair next to her, her arms folded as she stared hard at the girl.

“Yuki, education is important so you won’t be taken for a fool by others and so you can be independent in the future. “

“What I want in the future doesn’t require literature though,” Yuki pouted.

“Oh, is that so? And what exactly do you want to do in the future?”

Yuki glanced away before replying, “I just want to reunite with my siblings and not have to run away from Uncle Rido anymore. No book can help make that come true though.”

Shizuka looked down pensively after hearing her daughter’s words. The child was not wrong, no amount of education would solve the problem of Rido. That man would chase them to the ends of the earth if need be, the only thing keeping him alive was his desire to wipe out everything associated with Haruka and Juri. She could not do anything other than take Yuki and flee, always evading him in a game of cat and mouse potentially lasting for eternity.

Yuki did not like thinking about her uncle, but she knew she had to confront the issue eventually. Her mother had only vaguely told her that he was a dangerous man, and that he had killed Haruka and Juri, her real parents. Yuki could not make sense of it though, how could he kill her birth parents, his own siblings? They were all family and family were supposed to look after one another. What reason could possibly compel him to do something so horrible?

“Okaa-sama…why did Rido oji-sama kill them?” Yuki had always wanted to ask, and she thought she was old enough to know the answer by now.

Shizuka glanced back at the girl, who was now staring at her with her hands clutching her skirt tightly as she waited in suspense for an answer. The resolve in her large brown eyes was strong, and Shizuka knew she could no longer avoid answering her.

A minute passed by in silence, the only sound the ticking of the clock and the occasional hooting of an owl outside the cottage. Yuki was starting to wonder if her mother would just ignore her question, when she finally saw her open her mouth to speak.

“Rido thought he loved Juri, your real mother, and could not forgive your father, Haruka, for being chosen instead.” Shizuka spoke quietly. “That bitterness ate away at him over the centuries like a corrosive poison, until the only thing remaining in him was his hatred.”

Yuki crinkled her nose as she turned her mother’s words over in her head. No matter how hard she tried though, she still could not understand. If Uncle Rido had really loved her biological mother, he would never have done something to hurt her. After all, love was supposed to be selfless…

“I don’t understand…” Yuki confessed sadly.

“It is better not to understand Yuki…it won’t do you any favors.”

Yuki looked at her mother who apparently understood why Uncle Rido had broken apart her family. Would she eventually understand too when she became an adult? Or was it something only her mother, someone who had been married to him all those years could comprehend?

“Okaa-sama, why couldn’t Rido oji-sama just love you instead?”

It made no sense to Yuki why her uncle could not just love the woman he married and be happy instead of pining after someone he could not have. Wasn’t it painful to live that way? Why were adult relationships so complicated when everything could be so simple?

Hearing Yuki’s question, Shizuka was mildly startled. It was truly curious how the minds of children operated. She partially regretted telling Yuki the answer she sought, because somehow the child’s mind had wandered off to the topic of her marriage, something she was not exactly keen to discuss with anyone, much less Yuki.

She stared without blinking for a few seconds at her daughter before replying, “Feelings cannot be forced, Yuki. That man and I are fundamentally incompatible…we only ended up with each other because the marriage was arranged by others.”

Shizuka contemplated her daughter, who was so innocent of the ways of the world. She could not coddle her forever, the girl would inevitably grow up one day.

“Yuki…we are purebloods, and arranged marriages are the norm. Your birth parents were fortunate in that they loved one another, but they were an exception. The rest of us can only hope to end up with someone we can reasonably get along with.”

Yuki frowned, “Isn’t that so sad though? Having to marry someone you don’t love?”

Shizuka smiled sadly at the girl and reached over to gently caress her warm cheek.

“Yuki needs to be different from me…if there ever comes a day when you are pressured to marry someone you don’t want to…stand your ground or run away if necessary,” she spoke softly.

She hated Rido, but she could not blame him for everything that had gone wrong in her life. From the very first moment she had met him, all those centuries ago when she was still a mere child, she had known their marriage was ill-fated. She should have left, she should have ran away before she ended up at the altar with him, exchanging the marital cups of sake and blood. However, she had been too used to the status quo, unsure where she would go and how she would live outside the cage that she had been locked in her whole life. Perhaps everything that had transpired between her and that man was simply fitting punishment for her weakness.

Yuki saw that familiar vacant look in her mother’s eyes, the same look she wore when she stared out the window at something only she could see. Guilt gnawed at her, she should not have bought up her uncle, she had always been aware of how her mother avoided mentioning him and their marriage. She had to distract her mother, focus her attention on something else.

Yuki pulled her chair closer until it rubbed against the chair her mother sat on. She gently touched her mother’s arm.

“Okaa-sama, read this to me please? I will understand it better when you read it out loud,” Yuki begged in her sweetest voice.

Shizuka vaguely heard Yuki’s request and slowly drew back from her thoughts, her pink eyes gradually becoming focused again. She took the book the girl handed to her and started reading, her voice flowing smoothly like the waters of a stream. Yuki saw that the empty look in her mother’s eyes had disappeared, and relaxed, leaning against her mother’s shoulder as she listened to the story about the orphan boy and his travails.

* * *

The knocking on the door was loud and frantic, indicating the great agitation of the person behind the door. Kaien calmly opened the door to see an anxious youth around the age of 14 or 15, who instantly asked him how Yoko was without pausing to even take a breath.

Kaien smiled sheepishly in response to the boy’s distress, and Kaname immediately knew he had been played, again.

“Stop calling me over by lying that Yoko got injured, headmaster. Why can’t you just send me an invitation like a normal person?”

Kaien laughed. “And yet you fall for it every time? Besides, you would probably decline, citing your workload if I had notified you the normal way.”

He gestured the boy inside the house, and Kaname reluctantly entered, still a bit irritated by the headmaster’s antics. He could not stay upset for long though, it always soothed him to see Yoko.

The girl was seated in the living room, in her armchair of choice with her nose buried in her book. Upon seeing Kaname enter with the headmaster, she closed her book and rose to greet him, coming over to where he could pat her head as usual. Kaname noted that she had grown taller again and felt slightly wistful at how fast time flies by. The headmaster left the two alone, retreating to his office to resume his interrupted paperwork. Kaname sat down on the couch while Yoko went off into the kitchen to get him a cup of tea.

He looked down at the book Yoko had left behind on the coffee table. It was about the Warring States period of ancient China. Last time he had seen her, she had been reading about the ancient Roman empire. This was truly ancient history, even for Kaname who had been alive for roughly ten thousand years. Somehow the humans had managed to pass on such distant history even ten millennia after the collapse of civilization. To this day, the works of Socrates and Sun Tzu can still be found in libraries and bookstores. The dedication with which history buffs and scholars preserved knowledge was impressive.

That boy had loved reading about ancient history too, and had often sat next to him, with a chair pulled up next to his desk as Kaname filled out his own paperwork. Kaname felt himself sinking into the deepest depths of his memories and forced himself to re-emerge by clenching his fist tightly, feeling his sharp nails against his palm. He was Kaname, the “older brother” of Yoko right now, and he needed to remain in the present.

Yoko returned with a cup of green tea, which she carefully handed to him. She then sat next to him on the couch and inquired how he had been doing since they last met, almost four months ago. He looked even more haggard than she remembered, and she worried about him, wondering what types of work Kaname-sama had to do despite not being a full-fledged adult.

When she had asked about his duties before, he had equivocally mentioned something about attending meetings with important figures in the vampire world. He held her hand as he sipped his tea with the other, and gave her a vague answer before moving on to talking about the last place he had traveled to, and how he had seen a rare rose that only bloomed once every ten years. She cocked her head and frowned slightly as she pondered the existence of such a flower.

“That seems a poor reproductive strategy.” She gave her assessment in complete seriousness.

Her deadpan response caused Kaname to laugh, almost spilling his tea as his hands shook. It was very much like Yoko to give such a logical response when most others would have simply appreciated the rose’s poetic connotations.

Kaname’s laughter finally subsided, and he put down the cup. He took the girl’s other hand, examining both her small hands, feeling their warmth against his own larger hands.

“Have you been practicing again?” He touched one of the calluses with his index finger and frowned slightly. He had told her not to overdo it with the Artemis rod, but as usual she had maintained her training. Her determination concerned him, but at the same time he was relived she would at least be able to protect herself – to some degree.

Seeing that he had her on the spot, she nodded. “You shouldn’t worry so much Kaname-sama, it is only natural to have these calluses,” she said softly, hoping to assuage his concern. “Besides, the one who should be more concerned is me. You look as if you haven’t properly rested in a while.”

Kaname smiled with a tinge of pensiveness at the girl’s comment, it was true he had been quite busy in the recent months. The Council of Elders always had something lined up for him and the workflow had been almost unceasing. He would not be surprised if Asato purposely thrust all that work at him just to make his life hard. Kaname was thankful he had the aid of Takuma though. The blonde had stood by him through it all, helping him shoulder some of the burden. Even tonight, Takuma had helped him sneak away, fending off his handlers by coming up with some elaborate deception. It seemed Takuma possessed great skill in wiggling out of undesirable situations due to his numerous dealings with his grandfather, who had pushed him towards following his footsteps since he was a mere child.

Letting go of her hands, Kaname decided to change the topic in case she asked about his duties again. He did not want her to know more about the vampire world than the bare basics, remembering how Juri had sacrificed herself so Yoko could live a normal human life. Unfortunately, he suspected that the future was probably not going to play out the way Juri and Haruka had hoped.

“Yoko, why do you read so much about judges and law?”

She bit her lip shyly before responding, “The law is what unites society and allows it to function properly. No matter how rich or powerful someone is, they are subject to the same laws as those that are poor and voiceless.”

Despite how mature Yoko was for her age, she was still so naïve in some ways. Kaname’s heart felt heavy when he reflected on how her pure idealism would one day come to an end. The law had always been twisted to serve those at the top and oppress those at the bottom. Corruption was an evil that afflicted both human society and vampire society. Although he wanted to keep her away from the filth and rot in society, he knew she would encounter it one day, unless he kept her safe by locking her away in a cage. She would never accept that though…she valued her independence too much. In some ways, Yoko was a lot like her… For a second, the distant memory of long wheat blonde hair and strong but kind amber eyes crossed his mind.

“Do you want to be a judge when you grow up, Yoko?” He had no doubt she would make an excellent and impartial judge, upholding the law fairly unlike some people he unfortunately knew...

The girl’s eyes shifted to the side, resting briefly on the wall as she drew in her small lips. She knew Kaname-sama would not like her answer, but she would not lie to him.

“Yes…I want to study law and become a judge. Eventually, I want to go into politics though, so I can be Kaname-sama’s ally in the human government and help vampires and humans coexist.”

For a moment, Kaname felt his heart stop. The resolution behind those clear blue eyes that looked at him directly, he had seen something similar ages ago. Although he supported Cross’ idea to build a school which would admit both human and vampire students, it was more to fulfill Juri’s wish than because he actually believed in coexistence. Experience had taught him time and time again that humans were weak, and thus they hated and feared the stronger vampires. The only viable option was to continue keeping the existence of vampires a secret from the general public, as they had done these past ten thousand years.

Why couldn’t Yoko just settle for something safe and easy? Why did she have to get involved in the very things he wanted her to stay away from? Both Haruka and Juri had wanted something simple, for their children to be able to live unhindered by the rules that shackle the purebloods, to be able to laugh and cry freely under the sun, and even that wish had not been granted. His heart ached at the knowledge that she would only be disappointed in the end, and he feared that she would be like all the others before her, potentially throwing her life away for a lost cause.

Blinking, he looked away from her unwavering gaze. He did not want to discourage her and struggled to find the right words to respond. Seeing his reaction, Yoko knew he did not approve of her aspirations. She had expected this, since he had always strived to keep her away from the affairs of the vampire world, and here she had basically gone and told him she wanted to dive right in.

“I know you don’t want me getting involved in anything involving vampires, but I want to be of help to you.” She then smiled to hearten him, “It’s just a dream for now though, so don’t worry about it too much Kaname-sama.”

Even the way she tried to reassure him was like that boy. His face was becoming clearer in Kaname’s mind, those calm blue eyes and that smile allaying his concerns, as though Kaname himself was the child instead. Kaname shook his head a little, it was becoming harder to distinguish between the past and present. He swallowed and concentrated on the girl before him. She watched him with some concern over his slight deviation from his usual composure. With some effort, he smiled back at her and patted her hand.

“If that is what Yoko wishes for, then I can only wish for your success,” his words felt hollow and rung untrue in his head, but that was all he could say.

That innocence with which children viewed the world was something he viewed with ambivalence. On the one hand he wanted to protect that innocence, but on the other hand, that very innocence troubled him. The years would hopefully change her mind, perhaps she would discover another less dangerous path she wanted to pursue. She would eventually have to learn that somethings will not change no matter how hard one tries. He hoped she would not learn the lesson the hard way as he had and fall into despair. He did not want to see those blue eyes devoid of its hopeful conviction.

Yoko accepted his response and they moved away from the topic that they both wanted to avoid. For the remainder of the visit they talked about the banal matters that he preferred, such as her classes and how she was getting along with her peers. When his car arrived, he stood at the entrance and gave the girl one final pat on the head and headed into the night, feeling as though his heart weighed a ton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hino never really explained the timeline and the setting of VK oddly has elements both modern and old. For example, we see modern cars (when Senri and Rima’s agent dropped them off in a car that looked like a Honda Accord LMAO) but also horse carriages (when possessed Maria arrives at Cross Academy). The architecture all looks to be of an older European-inspired style even though everyone is Japanese, and we are not shown any skyscrapers or postwar modernism architectural styles. I’ve seen several different theories from other readers, but I am gonna roll with the following theory for this story. 
> 
> My interpretation from the tiny bit of info Hino gave us is that in modern times like the 21st century, humans screwed up and caused a global nuclear war that radically altered the earth’s climate (e.g. nuclear winter), nearly killed off all humanity if not directly from the bombing, than indirectly from radiation, famine due to widespread crop failures, and widespread disease due to collapse of infrastructure. During that time period, the first vampires (progenitors) like Kaname arose from normal human parents, given the radiation which induced mutations. Anyway, my take is that VK takes place ten thousand years after that nuclear apocalypse, thanks for coming to my TEDTalk.


	5. Caught

Yuki had finally mastered the art of summoning of her familiars and was now proficient in manifesting a copy of herself from the fluttering mass of butterflies. Her mother had spent the past few months teaching her this technique which was useful in many ways. Even though the copy could perform most of the things the actual self can do, if it was harmed, the real body suffered no damage. This was the same technique Shizuku sometimes used to visit her when he was too busy to actually leave home, though his familiars took on the form of bats like most other vampires.

When Yuki had first shown him her butterfly familiar, he had made a characteristically rude comment about how weak and girly they were, to which she had huffed and replied that was because she _was_ a girl, and being girly was not weak! Her mother epitomized feminine grace and she definitely was not weak. Having been on the receiving end of her mother’s frosty glare a few times, Yuki secretly thought her mother could probably kill with that glare alone – without even needing to unsheathe her katana or use any of her powers.

Today was an early spring day that retained some of the chilly bite of the recent winter. The earth was still muddy from the melted snow, and the grass still had not sprouted back up yet. As usual, Yuki was making use of her daily free time around sunset but had snuck out from the gardens surrounding the cottage. She had seen the familiar solitary bat hanging with one wing extended from the top branch of the tallest tree in the distant corner of the garden – their secret signal.

She carefully made her way over the mushy ground to the location with the large gray rock, their customary meeting place. Although this place was sufficiently far to escape her mother’s detection, it was still close enough for her to make it back with enough time to spare. Having been grounded that first time she had met him four years ago for having strayed too far from the house, she had long since mastered the art of sneaking back into the garden before her mother awoke and noticed she was not in the immediate vicinity.

He was already there, sitting cross-legged with both palms flat against the rocky surface, staring up at the darkening sky. He was wearing his usual black cloak but had worn the hat with the blue band this time. Yuki wondered if he had an entire shelve in his closet dedicated to black top hats, the only thing distinguishing each one the color of its band. Given how fastidious he could be about his clothes, she would not be surprised in the least to discover that shelve of top hats really existed.

“Shizuku!” She greeted him happily with a wide smile, it had been almost a full month since she had last seen him.

He turned to glare at the girl clad in a peach colored winter coat, her brain hair tied into two braids with large white ribbons. “Like I’ve told you a million times already, its Shizuku-sama to you, brat!”

She pouted before complaining, “Ehhh, its weird to address you so respectfully when I am just as tall as you now.”

It was true that she had reached the same height as her friend, and in fact might even be a centimeter taller than the boy whose appearance and height had not changed at all since their first encounter.

Shizuku frowned at the mention about their height. Maybe he should wear shoes with higher heels next time so her increased height did not inflate her ego even more…

“Don’t look so annoyed! Look, I made you a gift!” She cajoled as she sat down next to him on their rock.

The boy grimaced at her declaration, the last time she had bought him a gift, it had been one of her hand baked cookies. The cookie had not looked the least bit edible, and practically had toxic vapors emanating from it. Against his better judgement and caving into her unceasing pleas, he had hesitantly taken just the tiniest bite and had nearly vomited up the contents of his last meal. Never in his immortal life had he ever come so close to death’s door. Somehow, she had no problem chomping away happily at her own creations, perhaps her taste buds were naturally defective?

“What is it this time? Another poisonous cookie? Forget about being learning how to use the sword, you can kill even us purebloods with just your cooking.”

She swatted him hard on his shoulder, her face reddening briefly at the mention of her disastrous cooking. She had tried to assist Aoi in the kitchen a few years ago, but after a handful of catastrophic attempts (with her nearly setting the kitchen on fire that one time), Aoi had firmly insisted that she keep out of the kitchen. Even her mother had learned to decline her cooking politely but adamantly, always insisting she was not hungry when Yuki offered her some of her culinary creations.

“Forget about the cookies, you just don’t have the refined palate to properly appreciate them. Here!” She huffed and thrusted something into his hand.

He looked at the item and saw with mild relief that it was a small, pink, silk drawstring sachet. The sachet gave off the faint fragrance of roses. What really caught his attention was some indecipherable creature embroidered with white thread in the middle. Clearly, the maker was not skilled with the needle, the threadwork was too rough and uneven, with visible patches of silk dispersed through the design.

Unimpressed, he stared down at the mysterious organism composed of white thread on the sachet. “What exactly is this supposed to be?”

“It’s obvious isn’t it? It’s a bunny!” Yuki replied with a tinge of smugness, “It took me almost the whole week to make it, aren’t I such a good friend?” She omitted the fact that this was the prototype and she had given the (slightly) improved version to her mother.

“Huh, I see you are a fan of modern art.”

She shot him a suspicious look, though she had not understood the reference, she knew him well enough to figure out that he had probably just insulted her somehow.

She scowled, “You are so mean! I give you gifts but you just criticize me. You never even gave me anything in return! Cheapskate!”

At her last word he glowered back at her. “I grace you with the gift of my presence, brat! Do you even know anyone else besides me, your mother, and the maid? And did you forget that I gave you a whole tin of candy last time?!”

His words struck a chord, and she felt so frustrated that tears were starting to well up, as often happens when he went too far with his words. It was not her fault that she did not have any other friends – making friends was rather difficult when she had to hide from her crazy uncle in fear for her life! And she really did spend a full week embroidering the bunny – she had even been looking forward to seeing his response! She had been such a fool expecting gratitude from him when he had always been a jerk the whole time she knew him.

Seeing the threat of a sobbing tantrum on her red face, he decided it was probably wise to calm her down.

“H-hey don’t go bursting into tears like a baby now, you always do this whenever things don’t go your way.”

“I am not the only baby! You claim you are older, but you don’t act mature either, and you haven’t grown even an inch since I met you!”

Her bold retort also struck a chord and he felt himself get fired up for a verbal throwdown with the ten-year-old girl but stopped when he saw the first tear drip off her chin. _Oh jeez, the waterworks have started_ , he thought and grimaced. He better stop her before she starts wailing too, once she starts she does not stop for at least a whole five minutes.

“Fine! I am sorry okay? Stop crying, even your snot is coming out!”

“No its not! You jerk!” She sobbed loudly, wiping her nose with her coat sleeve.

Shizuku made a face at her questionable hygiene and pulled his handkerchief out from his front pocket. “Here, wipe your tears with this and stop crying, you are a pureblood vampire!”

She glared at him petulantly through her tears, not taking the offered handkerchief. Seeing her stubborn refusal, he ignored his distaste and leaned closer to dab her tears himself, feeling the warm liquid soak the fabric in his hand. This girl could be so tenacious it was truly something to behold. It was also quite the sight how she cried so unhindered, ignoring that she should keep up appearances as a pureblood, and letting it all out without any care for how blotchy her face was and how unbecoming she looked.

 _Oh crap!_ He suddenly realized he had taken out the wrong handkerchief in his haste, this was the one he reserved solely for himself. He felt himself turn a few shades paler and froze as he stared down at the soiled cloth in his hands.

Despite her sniffles, Yuki had calmed down enough to notice his strange expression. Concerned, she made her final sniffle and lightly touched his hand that was holding the handkerchief.

“What’s wrong?”

At her touch he seemed to snap out of his reverie and turned away to quickly compose himself.

“Nothing,” he replied gruffly, looking down at the dirtied fabric in his hand. It was not exactly the end of the world…he could always wrap it up with the spare and carefully wash it later.

Following his gaze, she examined the handkerchief, it was an off-white hue with lacy edges and decorated with an intricate pattern of daisies and primroses. The needlework rivaled that of her mother’s. Despite being stained with her tears and nasal discharge, she could see that it was probably an old handkerchief, some threads were starting to come loose here and there.

“Shizuku, you always tease me for being girly, but you have such a girly handkerchief too!”

He looked back at her, his lips contorted in an upset frown. His light green eyes displayed a disturbingly uncharacteristic sadness for just a second or so before he turned away.

“I am going home.” He announced tersely, quickly pulling the spare handkerchief out and carefully wrapping the soiled one before inserting them back into his pocket. He hopped off the rock and walked a few steps with Yuki following after him.

“Wait, don’t go yet.” Yuki protested, grabbing him by the arm.

She had not seen him in a while and she wanted to chat more. She was also curious why he was so upset, it seemed to be related to the handkerchief somehow.

At that moment, a katana flew through the air and impaled the end of his cloak to the ground underneath.

“Yes, do not leave so fast, boy.”

Stunned by the sudden projectile, Yuki gulped when she heard the familiar voice as she and Shizuku both turned in sync to stare at the newcomer like two deer caught in the headlights.

Her mother was standing a few meters away, arms crossed while observing them coolly. Her long hair was not tied up and she was still dressed in her nightgown, covered only with a light blue robe and her feet were bare.

“I would like to have a few words with you.” Her mother’s tone informed them there was no room for negotiation.

Shizuku and Yuki glanced at each other, both understanding clearly that they had slipped up and the secret was finally out.

* * *

Yuki and Shizuku were now both seated uncomfortably on the couch, waiting for Shizuka to finish getting dressed and come back down. They both knew it was futile for him to run and fleeing would probably make matters worse. Aoi was currently off to town working at Erina’s shop, so it was just the three purebloods in the house. The boy stared around the interior of the English-styled cottage. They were currently in the living room and although the cottage was obviously old, it was well-kept. There was only one framed landscape painting in the whole room, most of the walls covered by large, filled bookcases. The heavy curtains covering the living room windows had been opened and he could see that the sky outside was now completely dark. As he examined his surroundings, Yuki sat fidgeting nervously next to him, worrying what her mother would do and how she had even discovered them in the first place.

They finally heard footsteps descending the stairs and soon the older woman entered the room. Shizuku wondered if she had purposely taken so long getting ready as a psychological tactic to make them feel even more ill at ease. Her hair was now done up in a low bun with an expensive looking hairpin and she had changed into a simple but refined white dress tied at the waist with a yellow sash. She gracefully settled into the armchair across from the two of them, crossed her legs and looked at them silently with an unreadable expression.

The two younger vampires waited silently for their elder to speak, each second marked conspicuously by the steadily ticking clock. Shizuka glanced at Yuki who was visibly racked with anxiety, then at the boy who sat with his back straight, daring to stare directly at her in a relatively successful attempt to maintain his composure as a pureblood.

“Boy, what is your name?” Her voice was light and casual, as if this was just a simple encounter.

“Shizuku Toma, ma’am.” His voice sounded a little strained but at least it did not quiver.

“Oh, a boy from the Toma clan?” Shizuka eyed the boy in front of her, noting that he had their characteristic golden-orange hair.

His parents had been a bit younger than her, and had visited her a long time ago, once when she was still confined in her maiden home before she had gotten married, and three times at the large and cold mansion Rido kept her in after their marriage.

“I suppose you are currently the head of the family since your parents passed away.”

The boy’s gaze faltered slightly at the mention of his dead parents. He was a little surprised that even the “madly blooming princess” who had spent her entire life under house arrest knew a few things about the happenings among her fellow purebloods.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Okaa-sama!” Yuki suddenly interjected, her apprehension finally overcoming her. “Shizuku didn’t do anything wrong! He is my friend!”

At her daughter’s outburst, the adult vampire dropped her relaxed façade and the two younger vampires felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees.

“Oh? So you are on first name basis with this boy are you Yuki?”

Her mother’s cold glare and frosty tone made the girl shake with fear in her seat. She had never seen her mother this angry before and her mother’s normally unperturbed aura was now threateningly volatile like a heavy thunderstorm.

“I suppose this must have been going on for quite a while then,” her mother shifted her glare to the boy.

The boy almost felt like shivering despite himself. He was now fully aware of how this woman had gained such a fearsome reputation. Her aura almost overwhelmed him, and he wondered how it was possible for a soft crybaby like Yuki to have come from such a scary woman.

“If that is the case, boy from the Toma clan, how long have you two known each other?”

“Four years ma’am.”

“Four years?” Despite her ire, Shizuka was slightly impressed that Yuki had managed to hide this from her for that long.

On the bright side, it seemed she could relax just a tiny bit. If he had known Yuki for four years already and the Council’s dogs and Rido had not already reached their doorstep, then he was keeping their whereabouts a secret too.

“Okaa-sama…” Yuki weakly mumbled before being shut up immediately by another frosty glare sent her way.

“I am surprised the head of the Toma clan doesn’t have more important matters to attend to than secretly socializing with a mere child.”

The boy looked down and grimaced, it was certainly hard to respond when she phrased it that way…

Seeing his difficulty formulating a reply, Shizuka correctly guessed that he had been bored like purebloods so often are and had chanced upon Yuki by accident, deciding to interact with her for sheer entertainment. She herself was guilty of constantly toying with the little girl, her reactions were simply so childish and unlike that of their kind that it was hard to resist teasing her. Aoi was also fun to mess with…Shizuka always found her maid’s straitlaced scowling and nagging amusing. It seemed this was a vice that all purebloods had, teasing others especially the weaker vampires close to them.

“I assume you know my husband is looking for me. Why haven’t you turned us in?”

The boy looked back straight into her eyes and bluntly replied, “I don’t particularly like the Kurans, so I see no reason to inform him of anything.”

At that candid response, Shizuka’s frosty anger melted somewhat and she started laughing, startling both younger vampires. Perhaps she and this boy shared more in common than she had expected.

Sensing that her mother’s ire had subsided somewhat, Yuki finally dared to speak again.

“How did you find me Okaa-sama? You weren’t supposed to wake up until later,” she asked meekly.

Her mother gave her a piercing look before lifting a slender finger to point at the lowest shelf on the bookshelf on the eastern wall. Yuki gasped, that was where she had hidden the large tin of candy Shizuku had given her. She thought it was hidden so well behind a row of books that her mother and Aoi would never discover it.

“Yuki, for someone that avoids reading whenever possible, loitering in front of the bookshelves is quite suspicious. I asked Aoi and she denied having bought that box of candy for you, so it really made me wonder how you obtained it.”

The boy would have laughed sardonically at that statement if it were not for the current situation. He should not have been surprised that Yuki had slipped up, she was pretty much an open book. Despite her earlier accusation of him being stingy with gifts, this is the real reason why he had not brought her anything else prior to the candy, it would only arouse suspicion.

“Having reviewed your actions and words that stood out in the past few years, I decided to keep an eye on you. I started to wake up earlier and today I sensed that you were not in the gardens and searched for you.”

Yuki squirmed under her mother’s disapprobatory stare.

“Imagine my surprise at seeing you with this boy, another pureblood no less.”

Shizuku felt that he should probably apologize out of respect to the elder pureblood at the very least. “I am sorry for my furtive behavior ma’am. It was wrong for me to see your daughter without your knowledge.”

“Boy from the Toma clan, what exactly do you plan to do with this daughter of mine?”

He winced slightly at such a direct question. There was no dodging it this time.

“I was not planning anything…I was simply curious meeting a pureblood child out here, especially one that has not been formally introduced into society. You might not have known this, but my land is not too far from here.”

“And you expect me to believe that you are not planning anything?” The elder pureblood looked him straight in the eyes, and he forced himself to look back unflinching into her intense stare.

“If I were planning to harm her, I would have done so already. But for the past four years she has been returning home safe and sound.”

Without pausing to blink, the older pureblood followed up with another question and asked, “What is Yuki to you?”

The question caught him off guard. He was not exactly sure himself; Yuki was not what he would call a friend, she was nowhere near his level. She was not exactly a little sister either, she was simply a crybaby that he liked to visit occasionally and tease.

He noticed Yuki looking at him with wide eyes, seemingly holding her breath waiting for his reply. She would probably get upset again if he denied her status as his friend…

“She…She is someone I enjoy spending time with.”

The older woman’s cherry blossom colored eyes regarded him for a minute that felt like a century. Her expression was inscrutable as she passed a verdict on his response.

“See Okaa-sama, Shizuku is my friend!” Yuki announced triumphantly, “He tells me about things happening in faraway lands and he even gave me candy.”

At her daughter’s naïve response, Shizuka sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples. This girl must be protected by some divine being, not having long since been abducted or worse with her ridiculous gullibility. She felt that she could really use a glass of wine right now…it seemed that all Kurans elicited this response in her.

Shizuka brushed aside her concerns over her daughter’s naivete and focused on the boy’s reply. He was not entirely unbelievable. She had witnessed him carefully dabbing Yuki’s tears as she sobbed, brusquely consoling the crying girl. Witnessing that tender scene was what had caused her to impale his cloak instead of his chest with her katana as her first instinct had urged.

“Now that you know he is my friend… can I still see him?” Yuki ventured cautiously.

Seeing her mother’s impenetrable expression, she hurried to defend her case. “All my life I had only known mother, Aoi, and Erina-san. I thought that was enough, but when I met Shizuku I finally made a friend, and I was so glad to not be so alone anymore. Even though I knew it was wrong to keep it a secret, I was scared Okaa-sama wouldn’t let me see him anymore, so I didn’t tell you.”

At her words, her mother’s glance softened just the tiniest bit. She had wanted to give Yuki a childhood different than her own, one in which the girl did not have to be locked up somewhere and isolated from everyone, but she had been unable to do that. The most she could do was let her play in the relative safety of the garden, under that small slice of sky surrounded on all sides by hedges and bushes.

Yuki slipped off the couch and made her way over to her mother, placing a hand on her mother’s knee and looking earnestly into the adult’s eyes with a pleading expression. Her mother leaned her head back, closed her eyes and sighed. More than a minute passed by in silence before she finally replied.

“He has to come through the front door the next time.” At least this way she could still keep an eye on them.

At her mother’s indirect acceptance, Yuki smiled widely and turned back to look at the boy joyously. Shizuku looked a little dazed, he had not expected to be caught, to be interrogated, and for their conversation to end this way. Maybe this turn of events is because of that ridiculous luck Yuki seemed to be blessed with. All’s well that ends well, he supposed.

* * *

The music of the waltz taking place below floated up in the air, reaching the private sectioned off area in which Kaname was currently resting, hidden behind fancy painted silk screens. He was dressed up for this soiree that Asato had insisted he attend and looking dashing as expected. Although parties were meant to be fun, he had no interest in being here, and would have rather returned home early to finish filling out his assignments.

Unfortunately, Asato had wanted him to remain until the end and thus he stayed, but he was taking a long break right now. If that man had a problem with the length of his break, he would have to march up here himself to tell him that his respite was over. After greeting all the nobles of relevance, Kaname was slightly worn out, his face muscles feeling particularly stiff after having to fake so many smiles. Sighing, he couldn’t help but think that if he was still king, like he was so many centuries ago, he would have abused his power to limit the amount of soirees and social gatherings that can take place per month.

If he were still king though, the problem of soirees was of the lowest priority, and there would be many other more urgent issues to tackle. As he laid on the luxurious chaise longue, he stared darkly at the high ceiling above him. Time inevitably corrupts everything, and the vampire world he and the other progenitors had established so long ago had degraded into this sick farce. A few years ago, at another gathering, he had first seen for himself the depths this society had sunk to.

The sight of two human children locked in an ornate cage like pets had made his blood boil, despite the mask of neutrality he managed to keep. The aristocrat who had offered the sacrifices up to him had proceeded to tell him that it was alright to drain the children to death, for he would dispose the bodies. He had said it so nonchalantly, as though it were the most natural thing, reflecting how commonplace this depraved practice had become. However, if Kaname were to be objective, he knew he shouldn’t just blame the vampires, for it was the children’s human parents that had sold them off so heartlessly without a care for the fate that would befall their own flesh and blood. Humans and vampires were not so different in that regard, after all vampires originated from humans, and thus they had also inherited the capacity for evil.

Unbidden, a memory from a long time ago arose in his mind. It was one of his oldest memories, and in it, he was sitting at a rustic wooden table, in what appeared to be the kitchen of a small but comforting house. To his side, a woman wearing an apron over a shabby dress that had obviously been mended multiple times was gently patting his head as he ate a bowl of simple rice gruel. Across from him, a man in equally run-down clothes was laughing at something the woman had said.

He had been so young then his feet did not reach the dirt floor beneath the chair he was sitting on. Those two had been his human parents – from a life so distant it felt like eons ago. With a heavy heart, he mused on how he could not even remember their faces, only remembering those other details. The color of their eyes and hair were all hazy, the details having been irretrievably lost with the passing of time. Even the immortal and powerful purebloods could not maintain the memories most precious to them when faced with the unrelenting onslaught of time marching on.

Despite having forgotten their faces, he knew his fragile human parents had loved him dearly. Being in that modest kitchen, he had felt safe and warm leaning against his mother and listening to the chatter between the two adults. Even though he was currently clad in an expensive tuxedo and lying on a luxurious chaise longue at a lavish party, living as Kaname Kuran, a pureblood at the top of the vampire world, he felt cold and empty. A part of him yearned silently for that warm home and family he could never return to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuki and her homie got busted lol. Parenting is stressful, Shizuka has had enough of kids and their antics. Jokes aside, I am rather interested in Kaname in his identity as the ancestor so I shall be going more in depth into his past in the second arc…which will take a while to get to…this is a rather slow story…


	6. Summer

It was a warm summer night, and all the windows of their cottage had been opened to let the gentle breeze circulate. The night was filled with insect sounds and the occasional owl’s hooting, with the soft tinkle of the glass chimes as the wind swayed it now and then. Yuki, now a young girl of 13 was standing in the middle of the large garden, watching the glowing fireflies flitting across the darkness. Her long brown hair was done up in a side ponytail with a large yellow bow and she was wearing a cotton yukata with a sunflower motif that her mother had sewn for her.

Her mother had also donned a yukata, but it was of a more subtle color and adorned with a morning glory pattern instead. Shizuka was leisurely reclined in the garden chair near the southern corner of the garden, lightly fanning herself with one hand and sipping wine from a glass she held in the other hand.

Aoi was inside the cottage at her desk doing calculations and agonizing over the household finances. She was glad that it was summer, so they could plant vegetables and fruits in the garden to save money on food. On that note, this year’s crop of tomatoes and strawberries were looking excellent, thanks in part to Shizuka-sama abusing her power to manipulate plants. If they had surplus, she could even sell them at the weekly farmer’s market in town. Extra cash was always helpful, and Aoi sincerely disagreed with whoever said that money cannot by happiness – that person must be rich and never had to deal with serving two purebloods! The income she made helping out at Erina’s dressmaking shop was barely enough for them to get by, not because Erina did not pay decently, but because Shizuka-sama was an expensive woman to take care of.

Despite Aoi’s better judgement, she frequently gave in to her mistress’s costly requests, such as the crate of red wine currently chilling in the basement. She could never say this to her mistress’ face, but in this regard, the penchant for the finer things in life, her mistress and her former master were quite similar. She supposed that was only to be expected, given the fact that all purebloods were born into a life of luxury. Not to toot her own horn, but Aoi thought she was doing the best one can in serving her high maintenance mistress given their difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, she was quite grateful that Yuuki-sama was more down to earth.

* * *

Shizuku had sent a note via his familiar that he would be dropping by tonight, and Aoi had already prepared the tea and snacks for his visit. The cookies and cake as well as the tea set had been arranged on the garden table. A few minutes after the clock in the living room chimed nine o’clock, he arrived at the gate and was let in by an excited Yuki. He bowed respectfully to her mother who merely raised her wine glass in acknowledgment and resumed her moon-viewing, leaving the two youngsters to chat by themselves (within the confines of the garden and house of course).

Yuki twirled in front of him, proudly showing off her yukata. “Isn’t it pretty? Okaa-sama made it for me.”

The boy had not worn his usual cape and hat tonight, given the summer heat, and was slightly sweating in his long-sleeved shirt, even though he was wearing shorts. Sometimes he wished he could dress as casually as the humans and even the lower ranking vampires, but he had appearances to maintain as the young master of the Toma clan and had to wear the stuffy Victorian style fashion even in the middle of summer. Looking at the girl in front of him, he wondered if he could get away with a yukata? Surely his butler could not complain if he mentioned the Hio family wore yukata in the summer.

“Why are you so proud when you’re not even the one who made it?”

Yuki ignored his comment, long having become inured to his thorny rudeness. He got a little irritated, seeing his words bounce right off her. It had gotten worse ever since she had grown taller than him, she was now almost half a foot taller than him. Apparently, the extra inches had gone to her head and she acted as though she were his Onee-san now, treating him as if he was a kid. Like now, her patting his head, and telling him with a tone of exaggerated patience that he needed to be a nicer boy. He had half a mind to knock her in the head but refrained from doing so given the presence of her mother in the distant corner of the garden.

He endured her older sister antics and followed her to the bench where they sat and nibbled at the snacks Aoi had prepared. Yuki chatted happily the entire time about various things, such as how far she could send her familiars out now and how she had finally passed her math exam by the skin of her teeth after being forced by her mother to retake it three times. Shizuku often questioned how she could be a pureblood with her shockingly poor academic performance. Then again, Yuki’s personality and mannerisms were already unlike a pureblood.

Perhaps Shizuka had eaten or drank something strange when she was pregnant to result in such an odd daughter? Or maybe all that hardcore incest the Kurans partook in finally left its mark in the DNA that Rido passed on?

Yuki’s oddness was what made her so entertaining though… and although he did not say it, she reminded him of summer, and her sunflower themed yukata really matched her.

“Shizuku-kun, I have something for you, a thank you for the delicious chocolate you got me last time,” she announced in a sing-song voice.

He immediately held up a hand to decline. “It is alright, I don’t need any more gifts from you.”

He had already amassed enough knickknacks of dubious craftmanship from her, aside from the sachet with the unidentifiable bunny, he had been given an oddly terrifying doll that she insisted was a (no surprise) bunny, a bouquet of origami flowers, and a _teru teru bozu_ doll whose simply scribbled face somehow managed to give off sinister vibes. It seemed more appropriate for summoning demons from the deepest levels of Hell than for repelling bad weather.

“What are you saying? I spent a lot of effort on this just for you!”

He vaguely recalled that she had said the exact same thing about the other gifts.

“Here, it’s cute and useful too!” She grabbed his hand and placed a folded square of white cotton into his palm, smiling proudly.

He glanced at it suspiciously before unfolding it to reveal a handkerchief with an amateur’s attempt at floral embroidery. He supposed it was an upgrade from the bunny on the sachet though.

“These are daisies, since you seem to like them so much.”

Seeing his puzzled expression, she clarified that she still remembered the handkerchief he had used to wipe her face a few years ago, that day they had been found out by her mother.

“I don’t particularly love or hate daisies,” he remarked, taking another bite of the slice of butter cake.

Seeing her confused and slightly disappointed expression, he sighed. “My mother was the one who loved them. She was the one who made that handkerchief.”

Yuki’s eyes widened in surprise, she rarely heard him mention his family and anything too personal in general. She did not blame him though; she had not revealed her own past to him either and he still thought she was her mother’s biological daughter.

“You must love your mother a lot to keep it with you constantly.”

He looked at her a little startled.

“What? Even I am observant enough to notice that you use the same handkerchief every time I see you.” She made a slight pout, as if offended at his unvoiced implication.

He ate the last bite of his cake and placed the plate back on the nearby table. He did not particularly want to discuss his mother, but Yuki was still looking at him expectantly.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about her, she has been dead a long time anyway.”

At his reply, Yuki frowned, their light-hearted conversation had taken a sad turn.

“No matter how much you love someone, they would still leave you in the end,” he stated neutrally, staring at the starry sky ahead. For the first time, she saw his actual age reflected in his eyes.

Yuki drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees, an unladylike position that her mother would scold her for if she saw, but Yuki felt calmer sitting this way. His words bothered her, both out of concern for him and because she saw her own innermost fears reflected in them.

“Even so…I would not regret loving them. Even if they are gone, your cherished memories with them remain,” she said softly.

His green eyes widened just a bit as he glanced at her. Despite her general air headedness, sometimes she was unexpectedly perceptive, especially when it came to the emotional things.

He looked down at her roughly embroidered flowers, recalling a distant memory of a day long gone. The memory of his mother carrying him at her hip, standing in a field of wildflowers with the mild breeze causing the stalks and petals to sway back and forth. She had rested her forehead against his, looking deeply into his childish eyes with her love for him clear as day in her eyes and smiled so gently the memory made his heart ache sharply.

He turned to look at the night sky again. Cherished memories…fleeting happiness and the inevitable progression of time. Would even this summer night one day become just a distant memory, everyone long turned to dust?

He hated thinking like this, these thoughts were tiring and unpleasant. This is partly why he preferred maintaining his childish façade, even going so far to literally keep the appearance of a ten-year-old boy. He knew that other vampires talked behind his back and referred to him mockingly as their own little Peter Pan. The malicious gossip of the lower-tiered vampires did not bother him though, after all they were weak and inferior beings who can only whisper their resentments. When he was in his real form, he tended to brood more and the dark thoughts wore him down slowly but steadily, like the ocean waves eroding the coastlines.

Suddenly he felt her place a warm hand over his, and he glanced at her. She was looking up at the stars now, and suddenly pointed with her other hand at some clusters of stars overhead.

“Ah, is that the big dipper?” Her large brown eyes were twinkling in her excitement.

He looked up to where she was pointing and scowled. “Of course not you idiot, you’re not even close!”

She giggled tolerantly at his response and urged him to point out the constellations since he clearly knew them better than her. Feeling the need to educate her on the basics of astronomy, he started pointing out the major constellations one by one and telling her the myths associated with specific constellations all the while letting his other hand remain clasped in hers. The crickets continued chirping and the fireflies continued weaving their dance in the darkness, a pleasant summer breeze causing the glass windchime to tinkle melodically.

* * *

That very summer, the headmaster decided to take Yoko and the twins on a one-week vacation to one of the southernmost islands with a more tropical climate; the twins’ parents being busy working as usual. Fortunately, Ichiru was in one of his healthier phases, and he was able to partake in the trip activities. During the boat ride though, Yoko had noticed he had seemed glum with an uncharacteristically brooding face when Zero was not around, having gone off to buy snacks or drinks for the group. She had inquired if he was alright and he had just laughed it off, saying he was simply tired from the traveling.

The setting of palm trees and pristine white beaches were a sight to behold and many other tourists were present, this being a popular vacation spot. Yoko supposed even Ichiru would cheer up from whatever was tormenting him at such a sunny and relaxed environment. Her father was certainly excited for the trip, talking loudly and snapping tons of photos. As if his behavior was not enough to draw attention, he wore shirts of the flashiest colors and patterns and a wide brimmed straw hat. Yoko and the twins dressed more plainly in t-shirts and shorts, unwilling to stand out as flamboyantly as her father.

On the first three days, the headmaster took the kids all over the island, visiting local historical sites such as shrines and museums. Although Ichiru had complained about the excessively educational experience, being forced to listen to Yoko’s (unsolicited) detailed lectures about the history of the ancient Ryuku kingdom and its key role in maritime trade between China and Japan, he had been more or less placated with dinners at wonderful restaurants and the subsequent dessert bars. Ichiru enjoyed the sweet potato tarts and salt ice cream, while his brother preferred the savory _rafute_ braised pork and local soba noodles.

They spent the remaining days on the beaches right outside their hotel, managing to set up a large beach umbrella and picnic blanket at one of the nicer spots since they arrived earlier than the crowds. Zero slathered copious amounts of sunscreen on a grumbling Ichiru, reminding the younger twin that skin cancer was no joke and had checked his temperature (again) with the thermometer he constantly carried on him before taking him to go play in the cool ocean waves.

Yoko briefly swum a few lazy laps at the insistence of her father, who complained she was not making the most of the trip. Having done that, she had retreated to the shade of the umbrella and was now nose deep in some thick tome on the life of Pliny the Elder she had lugged all the way from home. The headmaster could only sigh at her bookish nature and be comforted by the fact that she was having fun, in her own way. He himself spent the rest of the foray to the beach swimming and taking the occasional break to drink some chilled coconut juice.

* * *

Despite the pleasant experiences during the trip, Ichiru still wore that strangely sullen expression when he thought no one was noticing. On the final night of the trip, before they were scheduled to depart the next afternoon, an incident happened.

In the middle of the night, Zero pounded on their doors, anxiously informing them that Ichiru had disappeared from their hotel room. Yoko and her father followed Zero into the twin’s room and noticing that the glass sliding door leading to the beach was opened, they decided to split up and search for him on the beach. Each of them prepared to set out with a flashlight with the headmaster giving Yoko a can of pepper spray and confirming that she had her rod with her before allowing her to go off.

The view at night was beautiful, with the moon serenely shining over the sands, giving them an almost luminescent whitish sheen. The sounds of the waves were reassuring and calm, and Yoko trudged through the sand calling Ichiru’s name. Eventually she came to the rocky section where they had previously observed the marine life left behind by the receding tides, and saw a silhouette huddled on the rock, peering at the waves.

“Ichiru?” she asked cautiously, approaching closer. The beam of her flashlight illuminated the familiar silver hair of the sitting figure and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

“I thought Zero would be the one to find me,” he said, without turning to look at her.

She turned off her flashlight and sat down beside him, feeling the hard surface of the rock beneath her and the occasional drops of ocean waves that crashed against the rock and rebounded into the air.

“Why did you run off like this?” she asked in a kindly tone, “Is it related to what you have been brooding over the entire trip?”

“Hmm, Yoko is perceptive indeed,” he replied, still staring at the waves.

She sat in silence with him for a minute or so. “Ichiru, since you have always said that I am an old man at heart, why don’t you tell this old man what is bothering you?”

He snorted. “It is not something you or anyone can help me with. Not even Zero…” He fell silent at the mention of his older twin.

“Whenever Zero or you are troubled, it usually involves your sibling relationship. This is about Zero isn’t it?”

“You should be a detective in the future, huh? Or am I that obvious?” Ichiru sighed.

“No, its simply because I have known you two for so long,” she responded in her typical matter of fact manner and continued, “Zero is worried out of his mind right now about you.”

“Yeah, but sometimes I want to be away from him for a bit, even if it makes him troubled. In fact, it might be better for both of us if we were separated occasionally,” he said quietly.

She did not speak and looked at the dark ocean while waiting for Ichiru to elaborate at his own pace.

After a while he finally spoke again, “Yoko, what do you think of me?”

“Hmm, Ichiru is the twin that makes fun of me for being serious while flirting shamelessly with the other classmates.”

The boy laughed a little then quieted down again, resuming his reflective manner.

“All my life I have been compared to Zero, Zero who excels in everything he does. Zero is strong while I am weak, he is the one who will continue our family’s hunting tradition while I am unable to even defend myself against the weakest vampire,” he stared blankly at the dark ocean.

“Sometimes…I wonder why I was even born if I am merely meant to be his shadow. It would be less painful to be such a disappointment if we were not identical twins.”

At those depressing words, Yoko put a reassuring hand on Ichiru’s shoulder.

“After this trip, Zero will start going on missions with Yagari-sensei and be leaving me alone. Even though I am like this, I want to accompany him and be able to help him…” he chuckled bitterly, “Its pathetic for me to desire that when I can’t even keep up chasing the target, isn’t it?”

Yoko shook her head, thinking hard. She understood that feeling of being too weak to do anything but watch from the sidelines. It really was frustrating being protected all the time, she didn’t want to live that way forever.

“Ichiru, aren’t there other aspects of hunting that don’t require physical strength? I remember Zero once praised you over the subject of hunter spells.”

“Spells are not for battle; they are for the other tasks such as restraining level Es and maintaining anti-vampire barriers in the headquarters. They are stationary and require too much time to set up. No matter how good I am at spells they wouldn’t be of use in a fight.”

“I certainly don’t know much about these spells, but can’t you create some that will help in a fight? Maybe you can create a new set of spells that are portable and does things like weakening the target?” This talk of spells was really out of her league, Yoko was more inclined towards the sciences, but she wanted to encourage the younger twin whose comment on his own worth was alarming.

“That might not even be possible, what you are suggesting? Besides, what do you think I am? A genius like you and Zero?” Ichiru huffed, but her words stayed with him. He was both scared and excited to consider the possibilities.

Yoko smiled lightly. “I am not a genius and I am not naturally talented like Zero.”

She held up her palms, “Do you see these calluses? You once called me a barbarian with the staff when I sparred with him. It actually took me weeks of practice to win against him and even now I have to keep training to not fall behind.”

Ichiru took her hands and touched the roughened spots of skin on her palm, marveling at the disclosure that the seemingly gifted Yoko had to work hard to achieve her current results.

“My point is, if you put your mind to it, perhaps you might just be able to make that breakthrough with the spells. Then you would be able to help Zero, even if its only from the sidelines,” she said gingerly. “Everyone has things we can and cannot do, so don’t fret so much about what someone else is better at and focus instead on the things you are good at.”

“I don’t think there is anything I am better at than Zero-nii,” Ichiru replied despondently.

“Don’t be so sure, I can think of one right off the top of my head.”

He glanced at her curiously.

“You are clearly more talented at talking to girls than Zero. He is too rigid, like me. I once overheard our female classmates comparing you two and it seems you were the more popular one given your crafty and smooth-talking ways.”

Ichiru laughed, “That’s not exactly a skill I want to advertise.”

It was even funnier how she had said that with a straight face, with no indication that she was joking. Knowing her like he did, she probably was completely serious.

At that moment they heard the headmaster and Zero’s voices, anxiously calling both their names. Yoko stood up, extending her hand to the still sitting boy.

“Let’s go, before Zero has a heart attack from fretting over you,” she paused, before becoming more serious and adding, “Also, please stop thinking you are unnecessary – both Ichiru and Zero are my precious friends.”

Ichiru glanced at her surprised, it was unlike her to say things so cheesy, she and Zero were similar in how awkward they were when it came to expressing their feelings. Regardless, he smiled at her sincere words, accepted her hand and rose up. Hand in hand, he ran with his friend over to where his frantic brother and the headmaster were.

The scolding he got from Zero lasted throughout the remainder of the night and the entire duration of their trip home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all have that one friend who starts going on and on once they are in their element. Yoko is that friend that will drone you to sleep with history. And apparently daisies are associated with maternal love, innocence, and childhood. Also, if anyone is curious about where exactly Cross took the kids, there are clues if you look closely.


	7. Found

It was dark outside, the moon only half full as it hung forlornly in the sky. As Yuki sat at the dining table busy mulling over a passage in her assigned literary text, trying to decipher the meaning behind the famous poem, she twirled her pencil impatiently and bit her lip. It was one of the more sluggish nights, and Yuki was feeling the siren calls of sleep but trudged on commendably with her homework.

Shizuka was seated on her customary armchair in the living room, only a few steps away, deftly embroidering a floral pattern on a dress that one of Aoi’s customers had ordered. The customer had requested an elaborate design of peonies and Shizuka had embroidered so many flowers and animals throughout her long life that she could start her own school of embroidery. The slender needle dipped up and down through the fabric, the dainty blue petal taking shape with each fluid movement of her hand.

Nearby, Aoi was perched on her seat in front of the sewing machine, head bowed and absorbed in finishing another dress. Recently there had been more rich ladies placing orders at Erina’s dressmaking shop, so she had brought home her work to ensure that the deadlines were met. Although it was tough keeping up during the busy season when the socialites were purchasing new dresses to attend soirees, Aoi welcomed the work – it meant more money.

As a few clouds briefly obscured the moon above, Shizuka suddenly sensed an approaching presence, one she dreaded as much as she was familiar with it.

He had finally found them, earlier than she had expected.

In the split second of her inattention, her hand had continued to move, and the needle pierced her finger, causing a single red drop of blood to fall onto the pale blue dress she had been laboring over. At the scent of her blood, the other two immediately looked up from their respective tasks.

“Shizuka-sama, are you alright?” Aoi queried, worry evident on her face as she approached.

Her mistress was staring out the window at something Aoi could not see, a grim frown on her normally composed visage.

“Okaa-sama, what happened?”

Yuki had left her books and had also come over, kneeling down and taking the needle, thread, and fabric from her mother’s hands, transferred them to the nearby table. The needle still had a miniscule speck of red on its tip, even though the wound had healed already. Her mother had never accidentally pricked herself with the needle before, something was wrong.

As she took her mother’s hands in her own, she suddenly sensed what had upset the older woman. It was a cold, dark, and fearsome presence, one that caused her to start shivering uncontrollably, as if she had known its terror in the depths of her earliest memories.

She had seen her uncle’s face before when fragments of her mother’s memory slipped into the blood she fed from. His eyes, one icy blue and the other an angry red, had haunted her in nightmares, back when she was very young and they were still moving from town to town, constantly on the run.

“Aoi,” Shizuka placed a reassuring hand on Yuki who had buried her face into her lap, “Take Yuki and go to the Toma boy.”

Although she still could not sense what the two purebloods had detected, seeing Yuki-sama’s terrified behavior and hearing Shizuka-sama’s order, Aoi understood immediately that her former master had finally found them.

She nodded and hurried to retrieve the spare katanas from the hidden compartment under the wooden planks of the kitchen floor. As Aoi prepared to flee, Shizuka cupped Yuki’s face with her hands, making her look up. The girl’s large brown eyes stared back at her with uncertainty and fear. It was the same expression she had made as a baby, when that man had lifted her up from her crib to examine his future prey.

“Yuki, listen to me carefully,” Shizuka’s voice was firm and she looked steadily into the girl’s eyes, “Go with Aoi and run as fast as you can. Do not look back and focus on fleeing.”

Yuki shook her head furiously, tears welling up in her eyes, aware that her mother was planning to stay behind and hold that man back by herself as she and Aoi fled. Even though her mother was strong, her opponent was Rido. The same man that had killed her birth parents even though they were also supposed to be powerful purebloods. Her mother could not defeat him by herself.

“Okaa-sama, come with us, Shizuku would help us!” Yuki pleaded as she grasped her mother’s wrists.

Shizuka looked down at the upset girl and shook her head. Even if they all fled, he and his followers would catch up eventually, the best option was for her to take down as many of them as she could and buy some time for the other two. Aoi and Yuki could defend themselves from the lower tier vampires, but they were just hopeless prey before Rido.

“Yuki-sama, we have to go now,” Aoi informed her Ojou-sama, having returned after hastily throwing on her coat and retrieving Yuki’s coat and the two katanas she clutched in her hands. She stood at the entryway into the living room and looked at her mistress, praying this would not be the last time she saw her.

Shizuka stood up and pulled the reluctant girl over to Aoi. “Yuki, you have to be strong like I told you.”

Yuki continued shaking her head, refusing to let go of her mother’s arm.

Aoi swallowed the lump in her throat and forcefully grabbed the girl by the arm. “Yuki-sama, we must flee now or Rido-sama will be here in no time. Both you and I are too weak to do anything but notify Toma-sama and have him come to Shizuka-sama’s aid.”

Despite her own desire for Shizuka-sama to flee with them, Aoi was well aware of the realities of their situation.

Aoi’s harsh words got through to Yuki, who recognized the truth in her words. Wiping away her tears, she nodded, she would go as fast as she could to Shizuku and have him come help her mother. Surely her mother would survive until then – she must. She let go of her mother’s arm, threw on her coat, and took the katana Aoi held out to her.

“Okaa-sama, I will be back soon, so promise me you will not die?” She asked the woman, who simply nodded and smiled sadly back at her.

Taking one last look at her mother, Yuki turned and followed Aoi out the back door, into the cold night.

* * *

After watching Yuki and Aoi until they disappeared beyond the view of the window, Shizuka walked over to the fireplace. She took the katana from where it rested on the wooden stand atop the mantle, feeling the familiar texture of the lacquered black wooden scabbard in her grip. The _tsuba_ decorated with gold inlay still retained the design of a lone sprig of cherry blossoms. This sword and its matching _wakizashi_ were the only mementos she had of the father she never met, and they had accompanied her all her life.

A long time ago she had once found herself facing the same man, while holding the same sword. Back then his eyes had taunted her, goading her to slash him with the blade, but she had resisted doing so, not giving him what he wanted.

Tonight, she would finally draw her blade against him in a fight she most likely would not win. Rido was many things, but he was not weak. After all, he had even killed and devoured his own parents, giving in to their basest vampiric instinct to pursue more and more power.

Sensing he was nearly there, she walked out the front door and stood in the yard, looking at the empty branches of the wintering foliage, still covered by a coat of last night’s snow. It was a pity, but she would not see the garden bloom this year even though she had been looking forward to the lilies. The years they had spent here in this cottage had been pleasant, but Yuki could no longer return here after this night.

Their peaceful days had finally come to an end.

* * *

Finally arriving at the location he had been searching for over more than a decade, Rido resumed his regular form from the dark mass of bats. He sensed only one presence – the one he was most familiar with. He supposed the girl had fled not too long ago, but the fact did not concern him much for he would track her down eventually no matter where she went. For now, he would focus on this woman who had ran away from him, taking his prey with her.

A few meters away, his wife stood silently, clad in a kimono so pale it was almost white, her long hair fluttering with the wind while her hand held the scabbard of an undrawn katana. She stared at him as coldly as before, her eyes the hue of cherry blossoms looking at him with a tinge of disgust, as though he was some creature that had crawled out a cesspool of filth. Ah, how he had missed the way she glared at him scornfully, hating him so much but unable to do anything to him. He leered at her and reveled in her animosity towards him.

“How cruel of you to look at me like that, when I am your husband who has longed for you the past decade,” he said and grinned widely, revealing his sharp fangs.

As he finished his greeting, his subordinates finally caught up to him. The horde contained mostly ex-humans as well as some level-C minions the Council he was so familiar with had assigned to him. They bowed and stood back, awaiting his instructions.

Spreading his arms wide open, as though he expected her to run into his embrace, he continued in his taunting tone, “Shizuka, if you obediently return home to fulfill your duties as my wife I will overlook your betrayal. I am the most magnanimous spouse one could hope for.”

Hearing his words, she merely scoffed. “How could I betray you when I never stood by you in in the first place?”

His heterochromatic eyes narrowed. Of course she would not just submit to him quietly, throughout all their centuries together she had continuously defied him to the point that it had become almost a game between them.

Despite having expected this outcome, a small flame of anger flared to life in him. Even though she was his wife, she had always distanced herself from him. She had endured his provocations throughout the years, invariably choosing to ignore and avoid him instead of confronting him. And yet here she was, finally pointing her sword at him, just to protect that wretched offspring of Haruka and his beloved Juri. How dare she choose Haruka’s spawn over him?

“So you will stand against me then,” he stated, staring darkly at her.

She did not reply and looked back at him resolutely.

“Fine.” He turned his head to the servant closest to him. “Go after the girl.”

The servant nodded and led the rest of the followers in the direction Yuki and Aoi had fled.

As they ran, the snow-covered ground beneath them cracked and thorny vines snaked out, wrapping around them, and immobilizing them. As the vines squeezed them tighter, the sharp thorns pierced their skin, draining their blood and life force, reducing them into ashes as numerous buds sprouted along the vines and blossomed into alluring flowers glowing an eerie red.

Rido looked at her, her eyes glowing a ruby red hue as she manipulated the plants that ensnared and killed his minions.

How exciting it was to finally see her using her powers… he grinned at the adrenaline rush as he prepared for battle. For a vampire, the only thing more exciting than drinking blood was unleashing their feral sides and engaging in a life or death battle until only one of them remained standing.

“It is foolish to waste your energy with that wide-range attack,” he said as he bit down on his index finger and drew out blood which he used to form a whip. “Don’t forget who you should be focusing on.”

Quickly drawing back the whip, he lashed at her.

Having been distracted finishing off his servants, she unsheathed her sword a few milliseconds too late, and despite having blocked the brunt of his attack, sustained an injury to her side. Her blood dripped through the torn silk, partially staining it red, with some drops falling to the snow. The lovely contrast of the red blood on the white snow and the familiar scent of her blood aroused his bloodlust even more and with his eyes glowing red, mirroring hers, he grinned viciously and moved in to follow up his previous attack.

* * *

The temperature dropped steadily as the night wore on, and as Yuki hurried in the direction of her friend’s manor, snow started falling gently before gradually blowing in drifts. The snowflakes blurred her field of vision, frustrating her. Aoi was right behind her as they made their trek through seemingly endless fields interspersed with stretches of woods. Not having a watch on her, Yuki couldn’t tell how much time had passed, and felt her panic rising.

Shizuku had once mentioned it took a little under an hour for him to get to her residence when traveling in the form of a flock of bats. Assuming she was able to travel as fast as he, it would take roughly two hours for them to return for her mother.

A sudden terrifying thought occurred to her – what if Shizuku wasn’t even home? She forced the thought to the back of her mind, she had to hope for the best and focus on reaching her destination first. He had pointed out the direction of his residence a few times before, telling her it was nestled deep in the mountains to the west.

The wind blew against them, making her even more tired. She was not used to travelling in the form of her familiars, there not having been any prior chance to do so, especially for such a long duration. It was hard to even catch her breath, and in her mind, she berated herself for being so weak and hopeless, unable to do anything but flee. Even now, her strength was gradually abandoning her...how her body ached to stop and rest! But that was not an option, she would never forgive herself if her weakness cost her the life of the one dearest to her.

As Yuki headed up the mountain and made her way around the numerous skeletal trees, a spire gradually came into view. She was now close enough to detect his familiar aura. It was faint, but it was there – he was home after all. She could have cried from sheer relief at that moment but concentrated her remaining energy on reaching him and delivering her message.

* * *

As Shizuku sat in his study at the oversized desk overflowing with paperwork he had put off until today, he suddenly froze, his hand holding the ballpoint pen in mid-stroke. Over the next few seconds, he realized that he had not imagined it, and that Yuki’s presence was indeed approaching closer and closer. At the instant he slid off his chair, about to head over to the window to peek out, a flurry of all too familiar butterflies crashed through, sending glass flying throughout the room.

He barely had time to shield his face with his arms, and as the fragments from the impact settled, he uncovered his face to see Yuki, dressed in her winter coat and collapsed on the marble floor littered with glass. She was bleeding a little from smashing through the window, but her wounds were almost finished healing. As he rushed over to help her stand up, Aoi came in through the window, part of her coat snagging on the jagged glass, but she paid it no mind. She was breathing heavily, clearly fatigued as well.

While he helped Yuki to her feet, she abruptly grabbed him by the arms, and he saw her eyes were wide with anxiety – something serious had happened.

“Shizuku,” she panted, her voice weak and patchy, “you have to go to help my mother, she is fighting Uncle Rido by herself.”

Several thoughts raced through his head, the first concerning her parentage. He had always assumed Rido Kuran was her father, since she certainly looked like a Kuran and did not resemble her mother at all. But he supposed further inquiries into her family background would have to wait.

He was more concerned about facing Rido, who was far older and much more powerful than him. Seeing the desperate expression on Yuki’s face though, he could not back down and reject her plea for help. Besides, he was the head of the Toma clan, and his pride would not allow him to back down. If anything, he should be excited, it was not often that he could use his powers without regard in a fight. Furthermore, Shizuka was strong, and if they faced Rido together, they should be able to force him into retreat.

He hurried to retrieve the sheathed broadsword hanging decoratively behind his desk, the weight of the weapon a bit unfamiliar in his hand. It had been a while since he last used it, but he supposed muscle memory will come to his aid during the fight.

His butler who had heard the alarming noise and ran up knocked loudly before hastily opening the door, to be greeted with the shocking sight of the broken study window and two female strangers, one of whom he sensed was a pureblood. Shizuku snapped his fingers at the flustered butler, who managed to professionally recompose himself within seconds. He ordered him to retrieve his cloak for he was heading out and to have some maids take care of the two guests. The butler bowed and went off to fulfill his young master’s orders.

“I’m coming with you too!” Yuki protested.

“You are already tired from just coming to notify me, there is no point of you going back if you will just get in the way,” Shizuku replied. The girl was so frustrating sometimes with her foolish recklessness.

Yuki wanted to argue but knew he was right. Her arms and legs felt as heavy as lead and she wasn’t sure if she could even walk out the front door by herself. Aoi placed a hand on her arm and shook her head, silently telling her to let Shizuku-sama go by himself. Her mistress would not want Yuki-sama to return to the site of danger, walking straight into the wolf’s jaws.

The butler returned with his master’s cloak and the summoned maids, who immediately started attending to their guests and cleaning up the glass on the floor. As Shizuku prepared to morph into bats and fly out the broken window, Yuki came up to him and grabbed him by the elbow, her anxiety evident and looking as though she needed reassurance. He did not want to tell her “it will be alright” in case he got there too late, so he merely patted her hand before taking off into the cold night.

* * *

They had been fighting for a long time, with neither one giving in. Their clothing was tattered and ripped at the spots where they had slashed at each other, and the snow under them was stained red with blood from them both.

Having just delivered blows onto one another, they now stood facing each other, with only a few feet separating them. The deep cut she had made from his shoulder to his abdomen was already healing, at the same rate as the wide gash marring her left thigh.

Although he was physically stronger and his attacks were heavier, she was faster and her sword technique was more refined, as expected of her lineage. The main reason she was able to last so long against him was her skill with the sword, which mostly compensated for their gap in raw power. He was much stronger in that regard, since he was both older by half a millennium, and had consumed the power of his parents. It also helped that she was able to incorporate her ability to manipulate plants into her offensive with the katana, having vines hinder him when he was not paying attention.

Rido had to admit he was impressed by this woman who was now glaring at him, waiting cautiously for his next strike. Even though he had always kept her locked up like a caged bird, she was able to hold her own in a real fight. Her strength and mastery of the sword was one of the reasons he had ended up marrying her like his deceased parents had wanted – he had no use for the weak, but he did appreciate strength. If she had bore him a child, he or she would undoubtedly have been quite strong. It was a shame how that had turned out though.

His senses pricked up having detected an approaching presence – another pureblood. Both he and Shizuka turned to look in the direction of the newcomer. They saw a flock of bats heading their way, amassing together and resuming the shape of a boy right before it landed, a few feet from Shizuka. The boy rushed over to her side, turned to face him, unsheathed his sword, and pointed it at him.

Rido smirked, he recognized that boy with the orange-blonde hair and green eyes.

“What brings you here, boy from the Toma family?” he drawled, eying the newcomer without much concern. To him who had lived over three thousand years, the boy was a mere toddler who could not harm him, pureblood or not.

“Rido-sama, I have come here to aid Shizuka-sama, I do not wish to fight you but I will do so if need be,” the boy replied, his voice unwavering despite his awareness of how overpowered his foe was compared to him.

The dark aura emanating from the older man was as repressive as he had expected. He was glad Rido was not using a hunter weapon in this battle, having heard rumors that this man was able to wield hunter weapons like some others of the Kuran lineage could.

“Oh?” Rido lifted an eyebrow as his lips twisted into an arrogant smile, “You even managed to find yourself a young friend, Shizuka?”

She did not answer him but merely kept her gaze trained on him, waiting for his next move.

Rido sighed inwardly, pondering what to do next.

Despite the boy being no match for him, if he teamed up with Shizuka, the fight would drag on interminably. That would be too much of a nuisance and he did not have the patience for it. Although he had wanted to sink his fangs into the girl she had raised so lovingly these past years, draining her dry as his headstrong wife was forced to watch hopelessly in anguish, he would have to put that plan on hold for now.

He would always be able to find them in the end, and he still had to deal with the other daughter that Kaname was protecting. Waiting for this girl to get older and a tad stronger before he devoured her was not a bad idea…

Having made up his mind, Rido slowly licked the blood off his fingers. A tinge of floral flavor was mixed in with the acrid flavor of his own blood – it had been a while since he had last tasted his wife’s blood. Too bad he had not been able to get close enough to her neck for a deeper and more satisfying gulp. He grinned at them, his heterochromatic eyes shining with malicious merriment.

“Shizuka, my dear wife, it seems I will have to take my leave now. Don’t miss me too much though, for I will be back sooner or later,” he announced and cackled madly before morphing into his bats and flying off into the stormy night.

Only when he had fully disappeared from sight was she finally able to relax. Her legs gave way and she collapsed on the snowy ground, one hand still gripping the handle of her katana. The cold wind whipped her long hair around and as the adrenaline rush from battle faded to be replaced by fatigue, the cold finally seeped through the tears in her clothes, chilling her to the core. She shivered involuntarily as she stared down blankly at the blood-stained snow.

The boy beside her remembered his gentlemanly upbringing and hurried to take off his cloak and drape it around her. It was odd seeing the normally strong and composed woman appearing so vulnerable and tired. He helped her to her feet and led her into the cottage where he would have her rest for a while before taking her back to his estate and having her reunite with Yuki and Aoi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wakizashi is a Japanese sword with a length in between 30-60 cm and serves as the smaller companion sword to a katana. And Rido finally appears! I can’t explain why, but it is fun writing from the perspective of a madman LOL.


	8. Toma Manor

The last crimson rays of sunlight pierced through the drapes drawn over the tall and narrow windows, imbuing the dark wood of the heavy furniture in the room with a somber glow. On the ornately decorated canopy bed, a woman rested in deep slumber, her long pale hair neatly swept to the side, the almost imperceptible rise and fall of her chest as she breathed the only indication she was still alive. A girl sat in a chair drawn up to the bed, leaning forward and resting her head in her arms with one of her hands holding the sleeping woman’s hand.

Yuki raised her head when she heard the heavy bedroom door open, but upon seeing Aoi come in with another tray of fresh tea and food, she laid her head back down.

Aoi was currently wearing the black and white maid uniform of the Toma estate, having decided to make herself useful at the residence of their benefactor. She knew that staying on the move would help take her mind off worrying about her mistress who was currently still in a deep slumber, a week after the fight with Rido-sama. Although her mistress had drunk from some of the servants Toma-sama had offered to her, she had then entered a deep sleep to recuperate from the intense battle. Her ojou-sama had been disconsolate and had stayed at her bedside the whole time.

Seeing the previous tray of food and drink untouched, Aoi sighed as she placed the new tray adjacent to it. Kneeling down to properly face her ojou-sama who had turned her head to the side, she gently placed a hand on the girl’s lap.

“Yuki-sama, you have not drunken or eaten anything all day. Behaving like this would only make Shizuka-sama worry,” she cajoled softly.

“I am not hungry,” the girl muttered stubbornly.

Aoi frowned slightly at Yuki’s response but dropped her persuading when she sensed a presence at the entry. Aoi bowed as Toma-sama entered the room, his arms crossed and a serious expression on his childish countenance.

“Aoi, you can go, I need to talk to Yuki,” he stated, dismissing her.

She nodded and exited, going downstairs to see what else the other maids needed help with.

The boy stood next to the girl who had her face turned away from him. Her behavior was starting to get on his nerves. He had let her be for the first few days, understanding the worry she had for her mother who needed to recover. However, she had stayed this way too long, and it irritated him to see her looking so uncharacteristically glum and morose. He would even prefer her acting like an older sister and teasing him for still looking like a ten-year-old over her current behavior.

“Yuki,” he called her name, but she didn’t respond, which only irked him even more.

Not having the patience to gently coax her like Aoi, he forcefully grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her up from the chair, his grip hard enough to make her wince and finally look directly at him.

“What are you doing, Shizuku? Let go!” she cried as she tried to wring free from his grasp, but he held on and further tightened his hold.

“You know why your mother is currently lying unconscious with no sign of waking up soon? It’s because of you!” He spat and felt her freeze as the severe words pierced her.

Her eyes widened, and the tears welled and began falling as he had expected. The boy stifled the urge to roll his eyes.

“I already know that! Why must you be so cruel to me right now?” She sobbed, looking down, her chest heaving heavily as her tears fell to the floor.

“Does crying help the situation? That is all you know how to do. You have been this way ever since I first met you,” he stated coldly, as she struggled to control her tears and emotions.

He silently watched her wipe her eyes for a few seconds before continuing, “If you have the time to cry, you might as well use that time wiser and get stronger so your mother won’t have to keep protecting you as though you were a baby.”

It was not often that he spoke in a manner that reflected his true age, inconsistent with his current childish appearance. Hearing her sobs gradually become subdued, he finally let go of her arm and waited until her tears came to a stop.

“Listen closely. You have two choices, Yuki. You either continue on the way you are now and wait for Rido to return for you like a sitting duck, or you stop moping around and start training with me.”

At his declaration, Yuki wiped her wet face with the back of her hand, steadied her breathing and looked at him. She saw an unfamiliar gravity in his expression, mixed with a slight tinge of concern as he stared hard at her, waiting for her reply.

After staring back at him quietly for a few seconds while feeling like a reprimanded child, she eventually nodded. She reached out and took his hand. “I don’t want to be a burden to mother anymore, so please help me get stronger, Shizuku.”

A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips before he turned away, placing his other hand on his hip. “Then we will start training tomorrow. You need to have strength, so at the very least eat something if you are not going to drink from the servants.”

Yuki managed to smile a bit over his indirect expressions of concern for her wellbeing. He had always been terse and roundabout when it came to being kind, as though he saw kindness as a sign of weakness.

Suddenly, Shizuku was struck with a realization and his green eyes snapped wide open. He abruptly yanked his hand away, yelping, “You just wiped your nose with this hand – what the heck are you doing touching me with your snot-covered paws?!”

She huffed at his expression of revulsion, “You’re making things up, there is no snot on my hands – you’re such a baby!”

As if trying to prove her point, she grabbed the bread that Aoi had brought up from the tray and started stuffing her mouth, finally addressing the ravenous hunger that she had ignored until now.

“At least wash your hands before eating! And how can you eat so crudely? It’s like watching a goat chew grass!” he scolded, while furiously wiping the hand she had touched against the fabric of his pants.

Yuki merely stuck her tongue out at him, some crumbs still adorning the corners of her lips. He shook his head, grimacing at her unrefined decorum, and headed for the door. This girl had always been a handful, but he was secretly glad to see her finally behaving like herself again.

* * *

It had been a little over a week since Yuki resolved to grow stronger and started training with Shizuku. Her mother had still not awoken from her deep slumber, but Yuki kept checking on her every day even though she no longer wasted entire days sitting by her mother’s bedside.

She now spent the days exploring his residence, being homeschooled by his retired governess, badgering him when he was trying to work (it turned out he had not been lying after all – he could get quite busy given his role as head of the Toma clan), and training with him. Their training sessions occurred every other day and lasted around two hours each. During that time, he had her spar against him with their swords, practice dispersing into the form of her familiars and getting used to traveling in that form, as well as having her cultivate her special ability.

According to Shizuku, while purebloods had overlapping powers, such as the ability to control lower ranked vampires, morph into the form of their familiars, transform their fingers into claws for basic combat, perform vampiric spells, etc., they each possessed a specific ability that they exceled in. This ability varies for each individual pureblood and depends on their bloodline.

He then pointed out that besides the ability to wield hunter weapons (with females seemingly more proficient at it than the males), the Kurans possessed an ability involving transformation of their own body or their foe’s body. He had observed Rido’s power firsthand that night he had gone to Shizuka’s aid and saw that Rido had transformed his forearm into the form of a scythe and had also used his blood to form a whip.

Yuki had been a little deflated to hear her of her biological family’s skill, pointing out that it sounded kind of ‘gross’ and ‘weird’ compared to her mother’s ability to manipulate plants. Shizuku had scowled at her before heatedly lecturing her on how strength is what matters in battle, not the attractiveness of the power used. After many days of mulling and negative results in their search for her ability, they finally made a breakthrough when she managed to manipulate her blood and sprout a pair of bloody butterfly wings from her back.

She was able to levitate a bit with the wings, but it was much more convenient to fly in the form of her familiars. The main advantage was that the wings could generate wind of considerable strength that could keep enemies at some distance. Yuki’s girlish vanity was somewhat satisfied that her power was not as gross as she had imagined; the phrase “transform your body or your foe’s body” had bought to mind haunting images of bulging muscles, large horns, and sharp claws. She was secretly very relieved that her power did not involve her transforming into a muscular, hairy, horned, bat-like monster like the demons she had seen in picture books. Shizuku would never let her live it down if that had actually been her power, she could imagine him laughing so hard that he rolled on the ground.

The training sessions took place in a wide grassy field behind his manor, situated away from the gardens. It was far enough to not disturb the inhabitants of the residence and was spacious enough for them to use their powers without worrying about accidentally destroying stuff.

Yuki gleaned from his butler that it had been the same field Shizuku had practiced in with his father years ago, when both his parents were still alive.

The butler, Saikawa-san, an aging vampire with greying hair who carried himself with dignity, had even gotten a little teary-eyed reminiscing about the days when the young master was a mere child, clinging to his mother’s skirt. Before Yuki could satisfy her curiosity about her friend’s childhood, Shizuku showed up and interrupted their conversation, telling Yuki to stop being such a nosy guest. 

* * *

Yuki was very bored when everyone else was occupied, Saikawa-san too busy managing the household to tell her more about the young master, Aoi busy helping the Toma family’s maids with their chores, and Shizuku locking himself in his study to work. He had initially allowed her to be present in his study as he read his documents and signed papers, but her incessant pacing and talking proved so distracting he ended up throwing her out.

She had complained that he had not hung up the _teru teru bozu_ doll she had gifted him, to which he had replied that demonic-looking object was properly sealed in a box somewhere in the basement. She had pouted at the discovery but was comforted by the fact that he had at least put the origami flowers in a small vase that adorned one of the shelves in his study. She wondered where he had placed her other gifts and busied herself with exploring the large gothic-styled manor.

The high ceilings, tall windows, numerous arches, stone gargoyles, fancy tapestries, ornate chandeliers, intricate rugs, elaborate woodwork, and other fancy decorations and features almost overwhelmed her with its opulence. Although she knew that she had once resided in a manor that wouldn’t lose to the Toma family’s in terms of grandeur, she had no real memories of that place from which her mother had fled with her when she was still a toddler. She could only remember that English-styled cottage with its wall of ivy surrounded by a thick garden of plants that she had spent most of her life in. Although it had been charming and comfortable, it was certainly nowhere as luxurious as this place tended by a squadron of servants.

Although Yuki knew it was improper and rude, her nosy side was interested in seeing what Shizuku’s bedroom looked like.

Could someone as childish as him still be sleeping with a teddy bear? Not that she could judge if that was the case though…her former bedroom had been full of plushies. On a side note, she was quite relieved that Aoi had been able to salvage her collection. Her favorites included a dark blue bear dressed in a mini tuxedo, wearing a top hat and an eyepatch, and a white bunny in a frilly black dress with a rose hair decoration.

After restraining herself with commendable willpower for a few days, Yuki eventually caved into her curiosity.

She snuck into Shizuku’s bedroom when he was holed up in his study, and when the servants were busy tending to other floors. His bedroom was disappointingly normal – there was no teddy bear on his bed. His large walk-in closet yielded more interesting findings. Yuki giggled in amusement when she saw that she had been right all along – he really had a whole shelve dedicated to his top hats! Besides his closet, she also accidentally discovered his secret room.

She had been touching and lifting things up to examine them closely when she moved a small vase on one of his bookshelves. With a low rumbling sound like that of gears turning, the bookshelves slowly swung open to reveal a dark room behind it. She gulped, curious and fearful of what she might find.

A torrent of thoughts raced through her head.

_Why would he have such a well-hidden room? Based on the detective books Aoi sometimes read to her, a secret room like this could not bode well. Her friend wasn’t a serial killer keeping a collection of trophies derived from his victims, right? Or maybe this is where he stored erotic books and pictures?! But there was no way he could have such perverse hobbies when he maintained the appearance of a child…could he?_

She hesitantly stuck her head in, before quickly pulling her head back out. She shouldn’t snoop like this – it wasn’t right. But then again…she would not be able to sleep if she did not find out the truth. She ran her hands through her hair in her frustrated indecision and eventually made up her mind – she had to know! Hands clenched in resolve, she walked boldly into the room.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she saw a light switch to the right of the entrance. Pulling the lever, the room was eventually lit up and she saw that she was in a windowless, medium sized room, with glass cases lining all the walls. A wooden work desk stood in a corner, large diagrams and several tools scattered on its surface, along with a half-finished model of a warship. Inside the cases were displayed model ships of various types. There were yachts, schooners, barges, cruise ships, galleons, and more, all crafted with exquisite detail and care. She marveled at a few glass bottles containing small ships inside them, wondering how the ship was placed inside despite the tiny bottle openings.

Having explored the whole room and finding nothing but model ships, she was hit with a sense of shame.

How could she have doubted her friend and suspected him of being a serial killer or a pervert? She turned off the light and exited the room. The bookshelves swung back in place when she moved the vase again, and she hoped he would not discover that she had been sneaking around his bedchamber and private collections.

* * *

Despite having felt guilty for invading her friend’s privacy, boredom soon compelled Yuki to go snooping around his manor again. She was just not the type to sit around reading a book or playing an instrument.

One day she stumbled upon a bedroom with two large portraits hanging in ornate frames that immediately caught her attention. The painting on the right depicted a beautiful woman with the same orange-blonde hair as Shizuku, eyes the shade of a clear blue sky, and a gentle smile. The painting on the left depicted a handsome man with golden-blonde hair and light green eyes, a serious but not unkindly expression on his face. The man and woman were a lovely pair to gaze upon.

Yuki had known those were Shizuku’s parents the very instant her eyes fell upon the portraits. She studied them in great detail, noting that he inherited his hair color from his mother but the eyes from his father. Her mind drifted momentarily, and she wondered if there were portraits of her biological parents and other relatives hanging somewhere in the ancestral Kuran manor.

The thought that she was invading Shizuku’s privacy and that she should leave before he found out occurred to her, but her inquisitiveness won in the end. She wandered around the bedroom, examining the furniture and decorations. This bedroom had probably belonged to his deceased parents and had lain unused for many years. However, everything was oddly clean and organized, there was no musty smell associated with abandoned rooms nor a single speck of dust to be seen. Even the intricately embroidered heavy bedsheets smelled freshly laundered. It appeared carefully maintained as though expecting that its former inhabitants would return at any moment.

Above the dressing table, there hung a painting in an oval frame, this time displaying the couple with the wife holding a toddler in her arms. Yuki could not help but smile at how cute and innocent Shizuku had been, with his chubby arms and big round eyes. It was also hilarious seeing him in a dress, and she giggled as she imagined the Shizuku now wearing a frilly dress with pink ribbons.

“Just what exactly are you doing in here?”

A clearly unamused voice interrupted her daydreaming, and she whipped around to find him standing near the entrance, hands on his hips and looking at her without a smile (not that he smiled much anyway).

Yuki gulped, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment as she remembered that she was in a room she probably should not be in.

“I am sorry Shizuku, I am going to go now,” she squeaked nervously and hurried to take her leave.

The moment she was about to walk past him and exit, he reached out and grabbed her by the elbow. She froze, wondering if he was going to yell at her. _Had he discovered that she had snuck into his bedroom a few days ago?_

She blanched in fear and braced herself for an angry lecture on respecting people’s privacy and not being rude. To her surprise, he simply sighed and led her over to the vermillion couch in front of the empty fireplace. They sat in silence, with Yuki fidgeting and mentally preparing a litany of apologies for her intrusion into his bedroom.

“We should have a talk,” he said, his chin in his palm as he sat with his legs crossed and an arm propped against the armrest. “Although I heard the gist of it from Aoi, I am still a bit annoyed you never told me you were adopted, and had me believe you were Rido and Shizuka’s daughter all this time.”

“Ah,” Yuki gasped, she had completely forgotten about that issue. On the bright side, it seemed she was safe, he still had not discovered her sneaking, and might not ever find out.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized weakly, not knowing what else to say.

Shizuku sighed again, understanding that she had her reasons for keeping him in the dark about her parentage. If his parents had been murdered by their own sibling and he was adopted by the murderer’s wife, that would not be something he would casually tell someone either. Being purebloods and constantly under the scrutiny of others, they all kept their fair share of secrets.

“My real parents…” she suddenly mumbled with her eyes looking down on the carpet, “Did you know them?”

He glanced sideways to observe her before answering, “I met them before, but I wouldn’t say I know them well. The Kurans have always kept to themselves, not interacting with the other families unless necessary.”

“Oh… I was just curious what they were like,” she said softly with evident disappointment.

They sat in silence for almost a minute before he spoke, “Your parents seemed very close and in love, at least that is the impression they gave when I encountered them at soirees.”

Seeing her perk up, he added, “You resemble your mother a lot, but her hair was curlier and darker. Though to be honest, you Kurans tend to look more or less the same, given the high degree of incest. Only Rido stands out with his heterochromia…”

Yuki felt her cheeks redden a little, her mother had mentioned that her biological parents were siblings, given the Kuran tradition to marry inside the family. That custom had probably started as a way to keep political power within their clan, and to prevent their hereditary ability to hold hunter weapons from spreading to the other families. Incest was not exactly rare among purebloods, given their limited numbers, but other families practiced more indirect incest than the Kurans did.

“Were your parents siblings too?”

“No, they were just cousins. My mother’s father was related to the Shoto family.”

“Oh,” she nodded, then diverted the conversation away from the uncomfortable topic of incest.

“Shizuku-kun, you look a lot like your mother too, you are both so pretty,” Yuki complimented him sincerely.

He was not happy to hear those words, and immediately glared at her, snapping, “I am not a girl, call me handsome instead!”

She tittered at his riled response, and patted his head trying to placate him as though he were a child, “Now, now, don’t get so mad, you won’t look as handsome anymore.”

Scowling, he swatted her hand away. “Why are you asking me about your birth parents anyway? You should just ask your mother, after all she definitely knew them a lot longer.”

Yuki looked down again, her lips drawn tight as her fingers traced the detailed patterns on the couch’s upholstery.

“She had told me about them, but I don’t want to bother her for more details…I don’t want it to seem as if I miss them, in case it makes mother sad.”

Shizuku snorted. “You’re such an idiot. Your mother would not be upset over that. It is only natural for people to be curious about their birth parents. If she was concerned, she would not have told you about your parents in the first place, and have you continue thinking you are her real daughter.”

Yuki reflected on the truth in his words and nodded. Hesitating a little, she decided to ask anyway. “And what about you, Shizuku-kun? Do you miss your parents?”

He looked out the window, it was a cloudy night and the moon was currently hidden.

At his prolonged silence Yuki wondered if he would just ignore her question. He had always been reluctant to talk about his family. Just as she was about to change the topic, he spoke.

“I think of them sometimes,” he murmured so softly she almost didn’t hear his brief reply, but she saw an uncharacteristically pensive expression in his green eyes as he gazed up at the man and woman displayed in the portraits.

 _Which was sadder?_ She wondered, _having portraits reminding you of the ones you lost forever or not having anything them to remember them by?_

This entire room was like a crypt housing a tiny part of the past, frozen forever in time. Perhaps a part of Shizuku was unable to move on, chained to the memory of his departed parents. She had learned from Saikawa-san that Shizuku was the only member of his clan left, other than a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin, all of whom were in deep slumber in some mausoleum and unlikely to wake up anytime soon. Yuki wondered how lonely it would be to have no family left…at least she had her mother, Aoi, and her siblings.

Her heart ached as she imagined him sitting all alone staring at the portraits of his father and mother. As she pondered what to say to cheer him up, she heard a knocking on the door. Shizuku told the newcomer to step in, and Aoi pushed the door open and entered. She bowed to them and announced with a wide smile that Shizuka-sama had finally awoken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who read Vampire Knight Memories, some may be thinking “But author, Toma is an antagonist!” Isn’t it more interesting when an enemy becomes a friend though? That is the beauty of AU stories in my opinion, the possibility of exploring the “what if's”. Also, he seems like a very flat villain in VKM who does bad things simply because he enjoys violence and chaos. Well, I am gonna try to flesh my version of Toma out in this story and make him a more realistic character, as I will try to do with all the other antagonists.  
> On a side note, since Toma looks like a shota and he is also a rich young master, he vaguely reminds of Ciel Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji LOL. And that is why he has a loyal butler- the image would not be complete otherwise heh heh.  
> For the training part where it mentions the Kuran’s powers, I based it off the official fan book where Rido’s profile says he excels at “transforming their bodies” and where Haruka’s profile says he “Excels in permeating others’ bodies and transforming them.” Imagine if Yuki and Juri could transform their bodies and become brolic monsters like those in Castlevania LMAO.


	9. Maria

The distant mountain range was outlined an orange reminiscent of glowing embers with the sun’s last rays. The view was framed by the darkened silhouettes of the surrounding trees. Shizuka silently admired the scenery from the side porch as she leaned back on the couch. Yuki had fallen asleep after feeding from her and was currently napping curled on the couch with her head on her mother’s lap.

Shizuka removed her woolen shawl from her shoulders and placed it over her daughter. She lightly stroked the sleeping girl’s face and smiled softly, remembering back when Yuki was a baby and how she had always fallen asleep soon after being fed. However, Yuki was no longer a helpless baby and was now in the early stages of adolescence. How quickly children grew up…

Aoi walked out onto the porch, having found a parchment envelope with a wax seal bearing the stylized jasmine flower of the Toma clan at their doorstep.

It had been almost two weeks since Shizuka and Yuki had left the Toma manor and moved into their current mountain cottage. A few days after Shizuka had finally awakened, she had decided to leave the Toma residence. She did not want to overstay their visit and she also did not want to further involve the Toma boy in her conflict with her husband. It was her own family matter, and even she knew that potentially upsetting the peace treaties between the different pureblood clans was ill-advised.

Shizuka had located her distant relatives, the Kurenais, and went to them seeking shelter. They were an aristocratic family of three, the father an author of some renown and the mother a fulltime housewife, taking care of their sickly daughter. The girl, Maria, was the same age as Yuki, but had been plagued by a sickly body ever since she was born. Shizuka had approached the couple with a deal they were more than happy to agree to: she would give Maria her blood in exchange for them giving her shelter and keeping their whereabouts a secret. The Kurenais owned a mountain cottage in the vicinity of the mountain villa they resided in, and they offered up that property to their pureblooded relative.

The cottage was secluded in the mountains and obscured by the thick woods, their only neighbors the Kurenais. Although it was simple with a modest dark wood exterior, it had a certain natural grace to it, and the side porch offered a splendid view. With the help of some servants from the Toma estate, Aoi had managed to retrieve most of their belongings and clandestinely transport them to their new lodgings. She had also checked on Erina and informed her of their departure. Shizuka had wanted Erina to leave the town in case Rido sent his servants after her due to their connection, but the human woman had insisted on staying. Shizuka’s concern for her friend’s safety was only alleviated by the Toma boy offering to look after her.

“Shizuka-sama, a letter from Lord Toma arrived,” Aoi reported and handed the mail over to her mistress, who deftly opened it, scanned its contents, and put the paper aside on the nearby porch table.

As Aoi examined her mistress, her face scrunched with concern. Although it was not significant enough a change to be noticed by the Kurenais, she had been with her mistress long enough that she could sense Shizuka-sama was not fully recovered. Her aura was not as strong as it used to be, probably because she had not been able to drink enough blood. It was hard to procure blood nowadays, the price of black-market blood having soared in recent years, and all of them had to rely mostly on the dissatisfactory blood tablets and the occasional pack of animal blood.

“Shizuka-sama, you have been giving too much blood to Yuki-sama. You have only just awoken from your slumber, and need to take care of yourself more,” Aoi implored, keeping her voice low to not wake the sleeping girl.

Her blue eyes reflected her genuine concern and something akin to scolding.

Shizuka smiled faintly and slowly shook her head.

“There is not much time left. Rido will come back for her and until that happens, she needs to get stronger…at least strong enough to defend herself. My blood is simply the most efficient way to expedite that.”

Aoi furrowed her brows and sighed, fully aware that her mistress was not the type to backpedal once she had made up her mind. She could only resolve to somehow find more blood for her and to look after her more attentively.

* * *

Yuki trudged wearily into the house, having just spent the past hour undergoing hellish training with her mother. It was already difficult to hold back her mother when Shizuka was only fighting with her sword, but now Yuki was also forced to simultaneously evade the plants her mother manipulated while dodging her sword. Ever since moving into their current mountain lodgings, her mother had significantly ramped up the difficulty of her training sessions.

With a shudder, Yuki recalled how her mother had mercilessly flung her through the air with one of the vines she controlled, sending her crashing ungracefully onto the cold, hard ground. Yuki had begged her mother to go easier on her, following her pleas with pouting and puppy eyes, tricks that had served her well when she was younger, but it seemed her mother had long grown immune to them. Her mother had responded with a serene smile before proceeding to knock her back a few yards with one smooth swing of her wooden sword.

Her body and limbs sore after that relentless training, Yuki sprawled onto the nearest couch in an extremely unlady-like manner. She buried her face in a cushion and moped some more before a sweet and enticing smell caught her attention. Sniffing the air like a hound, she rose from the couch and followed the scent into the kitchen, where she beheld Maria wearing an apron and oven mitt, humming lightly to herself while pulling a tray of freshly baked cookies from the oven.

Yuki was a bit startled to see the other girl, since Maria was sickly and usually had to stay in bed. She had only seen her a total of two times since they moved here almost three weeks ago. The first time she had seen her was when her mother had bought her over to meet the Kurenais. Yuki’s eyes had widened with pleasant surprise upon seeing Maria; it was the first time she had met a girl her own age.

Maria had light grey hair, large cloudy grey eyes, and just the slightest resemblance to her distant pureblood relative. Her features were so delicate and doll-like that Yuki had been seized by the desire to hug and squeeze her. That desire was only strengthened by how cute and shy the girl had been, blushing and half hiding behind her mother. Yuki had been distracted from her urge when Maria started coughing uncontrollably and had to be sent back to her room to rest. Yuki had been shocked to see a sickly vampire, and had later learned that very rarely, a few vampires were born with a mutation making them sickly, although they kept most vampiric traits.

Finally realizing that Yuki was in the kitchen and staring at her curiously, Maria almost dropped the tray of cookies in her shock but managed to safely place the tray on the nearby kitchen counter.

“Yuki-sama.”

Maria bowed and blushed, fidgeting nervously where she stood.

Before, she had never thought that she would meet a pureblood vampire, since she was often bedridden and had never attended a soiree or other large social events. She had not even met the current leader of the Hious, the pureblood clan her family was allied with through distant familial bonds. She still had difficulty believing there were two purebloods living so close to her now.

“Ah, Maria-chan, hello!”

Yuki beamed brightly at her and walked closer. The chocolate-chip cookies smelled heavenly and her mouth was already salivating.

“Can I have a cookie? They look delicious!”

Maria stammered out a reply, “O-of course Yuki-sama, I actually baked them for you and Shizuka-sama. I apologize for not having greeted you earlier, but Aoi-san told me you two were busy training.”

Yuki excitedly grabbed a cookie and bit in, the rich sweet flavors melting in her mouth. It was not long before she finished the first one and crammed another cookie into her mouth. Blood was tasty, but she loved sweets too. Sometimes she dreamed of cakes, biscuits, and scones and woke up with a trail of saliva dripping from her mouth.

Maria observed the other girl eating with a blissful expression on her face and relaxed a bit. As an aristocratic vampire, she had been taught early on that the purebloods were their god-like rulers, and to be viewed with respect and fear. Although the purebloods were tasked with protecting the aristocrats and other lower vampires within their circles, they could be cruel and merciless when offended, thus one had to tread carefully around them.

Although Yuki-sama was a revered pureblood superior, she somehow seemed so normal and down to earth, unlike the elegant but reserved Shizuka-sama who carried herself with the air of an unchallenged ruler. Maria wondered if it were simply a matter of age, perhaps Yuki-sama would resemble Shizuka-sama more when she got older? Then again, she could not imagine the adolescent Shizuka-sama acting the way Yuki-sama is right now and promptly rejected that theory. It seemed that Yuki-sama’s oddness as a pureblood was unique to her alone.

Swallowing, Yuki managed to choke out some praise in between bites, “These are so good Maria-chan! You should teach me how to bake sometime!” She smiled happily at the other girl.

Maria noticed a few crumbs around Yuki’s mouth and smiled back despite herself. Perhaps Yuki-sama was not as scary as the other purebloods she had overheard her parents discussing? It was rather hard seeing the girl before her as dangerous when she had cookie crumbs on her face and such a bright smile.

She nodded hesitantly and replied softly, “It would be my honor to do so, Yuki-sama.”

At Maria’s shy response, Yuki immediately threw herself at her, enveloping the other girl who was visibly startled into a warm bear-hug.

“I am so glad to finally meet another girl my age! Let’s be good friends!” she announced, drawing back and grinning expectantly at Maria, who blushed and nodded weakly.

* * *

In this way, the friendship between the two young girls began. Yuki would spend most of her free time with Maria. Initially Maria was still sickly and confined to bed half the time, but she got visibly better over the course of a few months as Shizuka’s blood gradually exerted their curative effects. Yuki would hang out at Maria’s bedroom, where they read magazines or watched the latest romance drama on television together.

Yuki had never watched TV before, there not having been one in her old home. She was hooked as soon as she laid eyes upon the screen and developed the bad habit of reacting as she watched, laughing loudly, and pointing out particular scenes of interest. Maria sat beside her and smiled tolerantly at her frequent (and unnecessary) exclamations. Sometimes the two girls would dare to watch a horror movie together, with them holding each other tight, quivering in fear and squealing the moment the ghost or monster finally appeared on screen.

Yuki also loved reading the magazines Maria was subscribed to, and browsed the glossy pages displaying shiny products and unfamiliar fashion with great enthusiasm. Her mother’s fashion sense was traditional and feminine (Yuki thought it was probably due to a mix of her upbringing as a pureblood and her age), always wearing either kimonos or long dresses. Yuki had thus grown up wearing girly dresses and the occasional kimono, but upon seeing the various fashions in the glossy magazine pages, she desired to wear try different styles. She thought it must be much easier to run in shorts and miniskirts but doubted her mother would approve of her showing that much leg.

It was fun to daydream about wearing different clothes though, and Yuki liked looking at the models. Her favorite models were a girl their age, who had light orange hair usually styled into two pigtails, and a stoic looking boy with brownish-burgundy hair. She once commented about how the male model somehow seemed familiar, and Maria had informed her that his mother was the lead actress in a few of the older movies they had watched together. Perhaps that was why he had stood out to her, besides his handsome face.

Maria was more interested in novels than magazines and offered to share her vast collection of romance stories with Yuki. Despite her general reluctance to read unless forced, Yuki found it relatively pleasant and relaxing reading the books her friend suggested, and they spent a lot of time chatting about who the heroine should end up with and which love interest they preferred. Through their discussions about the fate of the heroines, Yuki came to realize that Maria had an unexpectedly bold streak, despite her generally bashful demeanor. While Yuki hemmed and hawed about which handsome suitor the protagonist should choose, Maria always quickly made a decision and stuck with it, even proposing schemes as outrageous as having the protagonist actively seduce the love interest and elope. Hearing her friend’s words, Yuki could not help thinking that it was perhaps true what people said about the quiet ones being the wildest.

* * *

As the months passed, Maria’s condition improved and reached the stage where she was no different from any vampire girl her age. Shizuka finally stopped giving her blood and Maria’s parents could finally breathe easy, no longer having to fret over their daughter’s health. Maria could now leave her house and Yuki was free to wander around the vicinity of their mountain home with her friend. Sometimes they woke up early and carrying parasols, they would go pick wildflowers which bloomed in abundance, decorating the forest clearings with patches of bright red, yellow, and blue. Other times they would enjoy a picnic under the cool shade of the trees, sitting on a large blanket eating the sandwiches and desserts Maria bought along in a large wicker basket.

Almost every other day, Maria presented Yuki with some pastry or dessert she made. Yuki joyously stuffed herself with a variety of cakes, macarons, eclairs, tarts, cream puffs, Mont Blancs, Danishes, crepes and more. She had not even known most of these desserts existed prior to having met Maria, since Aoi only baked a small selection of cookies and cakes. Maria was blessed with a special talent for baking, and Yuki was glad that she was a vampire and thus could not eat herself into obesity and diabetes. She would not be shocked if she had more sugar and cream circulating through her arteries and veins than blood cells.

* * *

Yuki soon came to learn that besides excelling at making sweets, Maria was also skilled at cooking, embroidery, knitting, and various arts and crafts. Maria had knitted an adorable pair of mittens and a matching winter hat for her, incorporating a bunny theme, given Yuki’s love for bunnies. As Yuki opened the box and saw her gift, she was hit with the thought that if she had been a man instead, she would have proposed to Maria right there and then.

The more Yuki thought about it, the more she realized their dynamic somewhat mirrored that of a married couple. They spent a lot of time together, and were confidantes, telling each other secrets they could not tell others. Maria also constantly baked and cooked for her, like a devoted wife feeding her husband. In addition, Maria made her displeasure known like a wife does at her errant husband, twisting her small lips into a hard frown and narrowing her eyes whenever Yuki fell asleep when she was supposed to be studying, and whenever Yuki said or did something improper, which was quite often. With only the slightest bit of shame and repentance and absolutely no desire to stop, Yuki realized she was like a teasing husband, constantly harassing Maria. Unfortunately for Maria, Yuki found it hard to resist intentionally making her mad, because the way the other girl turned beet red when irritated was too cute.

On her part, Maria had gotten over her initial qualms about being so close to Yuki who was a pureblood. She stopped seeing her in a fearful light only a week after they had met in the kitchen due to the casual manner with which Yuki spoke and acted. One particular incident had crushed any remaining illusions Maria had harbored about Yuki’s mystique and glamour as one of their revered pureblood rulers.

Yuki had been hanging out in her bedroom, messily sprawled on her bed and browsing a magazine while Maria had been drawing at her desk. She had then squealed loudly, startling Maria from her detailed illustration of an owl perched on a tree branch. Yuki ushered her over with animated hand gestures, her face flushed with excitement as she held a magazine towards Maria. She pointed at the article she was reading, titled “5 Ways to Naturally Enhance your Breast Size”.

“Maria! Look! Maybe I should eat more papaya!” Yuki exclaimed, her large eyes shining with hope.

Maria stared at the title of the article Yuki was holding up, not quite believing what she was reading, pursed her lips into a thin line, then reread it again. After making sure she was not dreaming, she smiled uncertainly, feeling like her brain was short circuiting.

“Um…excuse me for saying this Yuki-sama, but those methods aren’t exactly validated by science. And quite frankly, from what I have read, breast size mostly depends on genetics…” Maria trailed off, waiting uncertainly for the pureblood’s reaction.

Yuki immediately took on a downcast expression; she had no idea what her biological mother’s breast size was. She would have to go back and ask her mother later. She sighed and squinted at her friend’s chest, with enough intensity to cause Maria to instinctively cover her chest and turn away.

“Maria…your chest is pretty flat like mine,” Yuki observed with a discerning glance, before breaking into a sly and somewhat suggestive smile. “But you might not have to worry since you are a blood-relative of my mother, maybe you are a late bloomer.”

Maria’s cheeks reddened predictably, and she indignantly sputtered, “Wh-what are you saying? Th-that is so inappropriate, Yuki-sama!”

Yuki cackled mischievously at seeing the other girl get all embarrassed, it was so cute. She stopped herself, realizing she had taken after her adoptive mother in some ways – such as the tendency to tease others, especially those who are adorable like Maria. She sighed glumly, wondering why she could not she have taken after her adoptive mother in terms of something more practical like figure instead. Or perhaps her biological mother also had this playful streak in her? She really wished she knew more about her birth parents…

Maria pouted and decided to speak again, “Why are you even worrying about this topic, Yuki-sama? You are fine as you are.”

“I already told you to drop the honorific, Maria,” Yuki admonished before answering her friend.

“Anyway…I want bigger breasts so Shizuku can’t ridicule me anymore! He always makes fun of me for being as flat-chested as a child, even though he is the one who still looks like a ten-year-old!” Yuki huffed, becoming annoyed just remembering how Shizuku had laughed so hard, tears had come to his eyes and he had nearly choked, when she had bragged to him about growing up and being too busy to play with him anymore during the last day at his estate.

Maria blinked, dazed by the other girl’s childish confession. From that moment on, she lost the apprehension towards Yuki that she had once felt upon knowing her to be a pureblood. Yuki-sama was just a regular teenage girl, worrying about the same topics as most other girls their age, vampire or human. This startling realization made it easier to relax around her and see her as a close friend instead of an unreachable superior.

* * *

In the end, Yuki did indeed ask Shizuka about her biological mother’s chest size when she returned home later that night. The adult woman had responded by giving her a sharp judging look before replying that she would not know as she was not on such “intimate” terms with Juri, and that as they dressed more conservatively back in her day, her actual chest size was not that obvious. Yuki had frowned then grumbled something about breast sizes and genetics before heading off to bed, causing Shizuka to rub her temples and order Aoi to fetch her an entire bottle of wine.

Sometimes she had no idea what strange things went on in that child’s mind. Perhaps it had to do with the girl’s Kuran genes – her husband (even before his insanity) and his siblings had all been a tad weird in her humble opinion. As she slowly sipped the wine, reclined on the porch couch and looking at the night sky, she started remembering bits of the past.

Although alcohol was enjoyable, it was occasionally a double-edged sword that had the unwanted side effect of making old memories surface. She supposed she would not be able to brush aside her secret thread of grief by drowning it in wine tonight, as the ancient poets of yore had suggested.

She could still recall the days when Juri and Haruka used to visit them, before Rido finally snapped and everything went south, fast. Leaning her head against the seat, she remembered sitting next to Rido and pretending they were a married couple on congenial terms, putting on a show for the benefit of his siblings. The couple in front of them had behaved extremely lovey-dovey, both in wide smiles, with Juri clinging onto Haruka’s arm and her happily recounting some romantic dinner at some five-star restaurant. Due to Rido’s misplaced competitive streak, not wanting to appear any less content with his marital life than Haruka, he had pulled her hand onto his lap, interlocking his fingers with hers. He held onto her hand tightly, and she had sat for the duration of the visit forcing herself not to slap his hand away.

Shizuka idly wondered if Yuki’s predilection for asking overly personal questions came from Juri. There was that one unforgettable visit in which Juri had out of the blue, over dinner, nonchalantly and euphemistically asked the two of them about their “love-life”. The invasive question caused Shizuka to almost choke on the piece of asparagus she had been chewing and to shoot a frigid glare at her husband, indicating for him to answer that. Rido had then forced out a chuckle and chided his sister about being too nosy and inappropriate, at which Juri had pouted and replied that it doesn’t matter since they were all family, and that she wanted to meet her nieces and nephews soon.

Having drained her glass, Shizuka gazed blankly at the empty vessel in her hand. As expected, Yuki resembled Juri more and more with each passing year in both personality and appearance. She wondered what the other girl, Yuki’s twin was like. Would she be Yuki’s carbon copy, her polar opposite, or something in between?

And that boy…if he had lived, would he have resembled her more or his father? It would have been better if he took after his aunt and uncle instead…he would have been happier that way. _What meaningless speculation_ , Shizuka thought and settled the glass on the adjacent table. She leaned back, placing the back of her hand across her eyes. She had drunk enough for the night and was done with remembering things she did not want to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBH, I think Shizuka is right about them Kurans being a tad “weird” (cough* perverted). There was that canon side comic strip in which Kaname said he was both a sadist and a masochist and Juri and Haruka squealing in the background happily that their son was a pervert, and how he took after Haruka. And if you read VKM, Ai has a lot of pervy thoughts about Ren... there was that chapter where she was jumping for joy because she saw Ren’s “erotic expression”.  
> Anyway, in this story Maria is Yuki’s best friend, like how Takuma is Kaname’s. And in true Kuran fashion, like how Kaname toys with Aidou, Yuki (playfully) harasses Maria. Also, I like the idea of them being close friends, given how they worked together in VKM ch 15.


	10. First Glimpses

The moon hid behind the thick clouds, and the sky was completely dark by the time Shizuku arrived at his destination, several hours after he had set off from his own manor. It was rather tiring traveling such long distances in the form of his bats, but if he had taken the car or gone by train, he would have risked being followed. The Senate had their spies spread throughout the country, and ever since the incident with Rido, who was such chums with the Senate, they would undoubtedly be keeping extra tabs on him.

Despite having exerted himself, he shivered a bit through his coat. Although it was late spring, and the surrounding trees all bore heavy crowns of dark leaves, the temperatures in the mountains dropped noticeably at night.

Before approaching the door, he stood back to examine the new residence that Yuki, Shizuka, and Aoi had moved into. Despite being much smaller than what he was used to, he supposed it was still spacious enough for three people to live in. More importantly, it was reasonably well hidden, the exterior of the building blending in seamlessly with the surrounding environment. This cottage was also deep in the mountains, the nearest town more than an hour away by car. They would be safe here, unlikely to be discovered by Rido for a while.

The door opened before he took another step and light spilled forth onto the doorstep, partially blocked by Aoi who was standing in the door frame.

“Toma-sama,” she bowed and greeted him.

He nodded at her.

He had developed a fondness for Aoi over the years and viewed her favorably for her steadfast loyalty to her mistress. She was truly a faithful and courageous servant, choosing to follow Shizuka despite the danger of standing against Rido. Most lower vampires, in consideration for their lives and societal standing, would have sided with the powerful and well-connected Rido, instead of his politically disenfranchised and socially isolated wife, whose reputation was tainted with rumors of insanity.

As he stepped inside the narrow entrance hall, Aoi took his coat and hat, arranging them neatly onto the nearby coat rack.

He was a little surprised that Yuki had not bounded out like an overly hyper puppy to meet him as she usually did whenever he dropped by to visit. As if sensing his unvoiced question, Aoi informed him that Yuki was currently at her friend Maria’s place, and will return in a quarter of an hour.

A part of him was a bit miffed that she had gone off to call on her new friend even though he had already sent word he would be arriving around this time. It was especially offensive, considering how he had not visited them in a few months! Although he maintained a regular correspondence with Shizuka, keeping her informed of the latest news his sources had gathered about Rido, he had only exchanged a grand total of three letters with Yuki during this period.

It seemed that Yuki was too busy with her new friend nowadays…

_Well, it is not like I care, that girl is a lot of work and I’m better off not having to deal with her and her shenanigans_ , he thought and scowled.

“Toma-sama, Shizuka-sama would like to meet with you first,” Aoi said.

He nodded and followed her into the living room where Shizuka was seated regally on the couch. The windows were opened, and a cold breeze blew in, stirring the edges of the long curtains that were pulled to the side.

Aoi excused herself and retreated down the dark hallway, leaving the two purebloods to themselves.

Shizuka was as elegant and impeccably dressed as usual. Her pale hair was tied up in a plait and she was clad in a simple dark green midi dress instead of her usual kimono.

At his entrance she glanced up from her glass of red wine.

He noticed a crystal decanter on the coffee table and wondered if it contained Cabernet Sauvignon or perhaps a Syrah. The last time he had visited Yuki back in the cottage, he had observed Shizuka sipping from a sake cup, a flask of _Daiginjo-shu_ at her side as she stared at a landscape painting, a tinge of melancholy in her distant gaze.

A long time ago, he had seen that same hint of melancholy in the eyes of his parents when they thought he was not looking. Perhaps it was an inevitable side effect of having lived multiple centuries, though in Shizuka’s case, Rido probably had something to do with her pensive air. Even among the less reputable purebloods, that man was rather an outlier.

Shizuku greeted the older woman respectfully and she indicated with a fluid gesture of her hand for him to sit down. He took the seat diagonal from her.

“Has the Council been making trouble for you in recent times?” she inquired casually, slowly swirling the glass in her hand and examining the red liquid as it sloshed around in its translucent vessel.

“Those annoying goons have always been troublesome,” he replied ambiguously.

She smiled faintly and accepted his answer without pushing further.

“In regard to what I asked you to look into the last time we spoke, have you found out anything?” she asked, looking directly at him, no longer toying with the wine glass.

“Yes… Kaname Kuran is currently attending Cross Academy, the school run by Kaien Cross, a former vampire hunter,” he reported, trying to keep his general distaste for the Kurans from slipping into his words.

“He is the leader of the Night Class, composed entirely of vampires, mostly those from the ranks of the aristocrats. Even the grandson of Asato Ichijou is attending alongside him.”

Shizuku hated that old geezer, who frequently and unabashedly tried to regulate the actions of the purebloods. However, despite his animosity towards the man, even he had to admit that noble vampire was impressively sly and formidable as an opponent, giving credit where it was due.

The older woman processed the information calmly and remarked, “Then that must be where the other girl is, for Kaname to play student like that.”

He nodded, aware of who the “other girl” referred to. It seems Yuki would be reunited with her siblings in due time.

“Shizuku, you do not need to get involved more than you already have,” she suddenly said, her solemn gaze fixed on him.

He understood the unspoken consideration behind her statement but steadily held her gaze.

“Having already gone this far, outwardly standing against Rido, I will not back down now. Besides, this is the most interesting situation I have come across in a while, and I am always up to the challenge when it comes to opposing the cretins on the Senate.”

Shizuka leaned her head slightly to the side and smiled, amused at the reckless and vindictive courage of the boy before her. _How confident and energetic the young ones are_ , she thought wryly.

Soon afterwards, both of them sensed Yuki’s quickly approaching presence, indicating her return and Shizuka ended their conversation.

A minute later, Yuki burst into the living room, her usual lively self, wearing a collared light blue dress and carrying what looked to be an enamel cake carrier.

“Shizuku, you’re here! Look, I made this cake with Maria-chan. You and mother should try it!” she happily announced, not even taking the time to catch her breath.

Without waiting for their replies, she set the carrier down on the table, next to the decanter of wine, and opened it to reveal her sweet and hopefully edible creation.

The older woman responded that although the cake looked remarkable, she was full and had no appetite left for dessert. With a pleasant smile and a swish of her skirt, Shizuka gracefully excused herself and retired to her bedroom.

Yuki twisted her lips into a pout at her mother’s defection, unsure if she had been speaking the truth or making an excuse to avoid consuming her sugary creation. She turned to focus her attention on her friend, who looked grimly at the cake on the table.

Although it looked innocent enough – lathered with white frosting and decorated artfully with an abundance of strawberries and blueberries, he held deep reservations about tasting any of her culinary concoctions.

As he wondered what excuse to use, Aoi came in bearing plates, cutlery, teacups, and a warm pot of tea. With efficient pace and smooth movements, she set down those items and removed the decanter of wine and the empty glass. Smiling kindly, she then informed her ojou-sama that she was currently on a diet (though she appeared perfectly slim to Shizuku) so she will unfortunately have to miss out on Yuki-sama’s cake. As quickly and deftly as she had swept in, she retreated back out to the kitchen.

Yuki’s pout deepened and she glared at Shizuku, daring him to wriggle out of trying her handiwork as Aoi and her mother had.

She took the knife, cut a large piece of cake, transferred it to a plate, and held it out towards him. He stared at the proffered plate without enthusiasm.

“You don’t have to be so wary, it was 95% made by Maria-chan. I just assisted her, helping her with things like mixing the ingredients and washing the fruit,” she informed him while continuing to sulk.

She cut an equally big slice for herself and started consuming it, seated beside him.

Shizuku had no idea if this Maria-chan was as equally atrocious as Yuki was in the culinary arts but decided to take a bite in the face of no escape. It was not like he would really die – he would only come close to death at worst.

Hesitantly he stabbed the cake and inserted the tiniest morsel into his mouth. To his relief and pleasant surprise, it actually tasted great. In fact, he could even compare it to the cakes from the high-end bakeries he occasionally visited.

Yuki glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, assessing his reaction. She was satisfied seeing him relax and take another bigger bite, eating it without the prior reluctance he had displayed.

“This Maria is not bad at baking,” he commented after finishing his slice and taking a sip of the chrysanthemum tea. “You really should learn a thing or two from her.”

Yuki glared at him and kicked his foot.

“And you should learn to be more of a gentleman and become nicer to ladies.”

He snorted at her referring to herself as a lady. Most ladies he knew did not eat messily enough to leave bits of frosting around their mouth like she did.

“Anyway, what were you talking about with mother?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“None of your business, it was a conversation between adults.”

She made a shrill laugh and patted his head, emphasizing how his current height was shorter compared to hers.

“Huh, I see, Mr. Adult.”

He brusquely swatted her offending hand away from his hair.

“Go ask your mother if you want to know, but I am not in the habit of blabbering.”

Seeing as he was not going to answer her first question, Yuki decided to change the topic.

“Where have you been these past months? How come you haven’t dropped by to visit in a while?”

“I got more work recently, so I was too busy to visit. Unlike you I actually have responsibilities.”

Yuki huffed, “I am not as carefree as you think, you jerk! Mother has been training me even more nowadays and its always so tiring, especially since I still have to keep up with lessons.”

The boy gave her an unsympathetic look.

“That should be the standard, your mother has been too soft on you. Besides, how busy are you really when you have so much time to hang out with this Maria-chan?”

She gulped, recognizing the truth in his words. It was undeniable that she had been spending a lot of time lazing around in Maria’s room reading magazines and watching TV. It was not her fault that the latest drama they were following was so addictive!

“Um, that is not the main point! I have been much more diligent these past months! Anyway, let me tell you about Maria!”

She quickly changed the topic and started rambling about her new friend and the amazing creation called television among other things.

Shizuku pondered if Yuki should be allowed to watch so much TV without supervision.

He highly doubted she was watching educational documentaries on the animal kingdom or the histories of different countries. More likely than not, she was consuming sappy romance dramas, the bilge that frumpy housewives and starry-eyed teenage girls loved so much. The dramas were all variations of the same theme: a naïve girl (usually lacking money and brains) capturing the heart of an outwardly cold and mysterious man (always wealthy, smart, and handsome), while everybody (apparently for lack of better things to do) tried to tear them apart. At least this is what he had gathered from the excited chattering of his maids, whenever they were on break and he happened to pass by. These shows would only give her more unrealistic ideas about the way the world worked, and she was already lost in la-la land half the time…

As his visit came to an end, he donned his coat and hat and walked out the door. He turned back to face Yuki who stood in the doorway and stared after him, disappointed he was leaving so soon.

“I won’t be visiting for a while with the increased workload I have to deal with.”

Her eyes widened and she frowned briefly, visibly dejected by the news.

In spite of her heavy heart, she forced herself to smile cheerfully.

“Don’t miss me too much, though I know it will be hard for you being all alone, stuck in your gloomy office.”

He scoffed, “I am glad to get some peace and quiet without you around. And for the record, my office is not gloomy, it is sophisticated, something a brat like you can’t comprehend.”

She responded by childishly sticking her tongue out at him and he waved once before dispersing into a flock of bats and flying off, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

* * *

“That’s her,” Yuki gasped, squeezing her mother’s hand tightly in her excitement.

Although her physical body was seated right next to her mother in their mountain hideout, she was currently using her familiar’s eyes to view something far away. Many miles removed from them, her butterfly perched on a tree branch, next to her mother’s sparrow.

After being separated from her younger twin sister years ago when they were still babies, she was finally seeing her again for the first time, at the age of 14.

Although she had no memories of her sister, she recognized her instantly.

There was simply a familiar sensation about the girl that arrested her attention. Her sister, Yoko, was currently walking out of what appeared to be the main lecture building of the academy.

They were clearly not identical twins, both of them differing in many physical traits. For one, the other girl was notably taller than her, by as much as half a foot. For another Yoko’s hair was a darker shade of brown, and very curly, in a rather unorganized way, notably different from Yuki’s straighter locks. Yoko’s eyes were also a serene light blue, in contrast to Yuki’s energetic brown eyes.

Yoko was easy to spot in the midst of the crowd of students streaming out the building, because she had a certain calm and sagacious aura, carrying herself as though she was much older than her actual age. She walked briskly, her back straight and her eyes focused, unlike most of the other students who strolled leisurely with their friends, busy catching up on how their day went.

Yuki stared in fascination at her twin sister, the one who had accompanied her from the very start when they were still in their birth mother’s womb. She wanted to hold her close, feel her warmth, and breathe in her scent. Her butterfly familiar fluttered its wings, slowly ascending from the branch and moving towards the girl.

She felt a tight grip around her wrist and turned to see her mother looking at her and gently shaking her head.

“Now is not the time, Yuki,” Shizuka stated quietly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Yuki frowned, feeling mildly frustrated, but returned her butterfly to the branch.

Her mother was right, she had agreed to only view her sister from afar.

Shizuka softly squeezed her hand, understanding her daughter’s frustration and longing, being so close to the one she longed for but unable to be with her.

Yuki leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder, and Shizuka stroked her hair, comforting her. The two of them watched the girl walk away, melting into the crowd of students all wearing the white uniforms representative of the school.

* * *

Yuki saw her older brother for the first time two or three weeks after she had first glimpsed Yoko. Once again, she had been observing Yoko from the distance through her butterfly, but her familiar had arrived at the academy later than usual.

It was sunset, and Yoko was directing the human students to the side, so that the vampire students could head over to the lecture hall without being harassed by their fans.

Even through her butterfly, Yuki could sense the hectic excitement of the human girls, and was glad that she did not have to deal with them herself, unlike her poor sister and her two friends, handsome identical twins with distinctive silver hair. Although humans were weaker than her, seeing the human girls act so wildly reminded her how terrifying humans can be under the sway of raging hormones. They elbowed and pushed each other and screamed loud enough to wake the dead. It was not much of a stretch to say that they were only slightly more restrained than unhinged level E’s….

The huge ornate gates opened with a metallic groan, and the vampires streamed out in an orderly fashion, led by their leader. Yuki instinctively knew that was her brother because he was the only pureblood in that area.

He was handsome as expected, and possessed a slightly androgynous beauty, with dark brown hair and mysterious brown eyes. He possessed a majestic grace consistent with his identity as both a pureblood vampire and the heir to the esteemed Kuran clan. Yuki was immediately struck by how similar he and Yoko looked, both with that reserved and polite grace. From physical appearances alone, it should come as no shock to anyone that the two were related. Yoko resembled Kaname more than she did her own twin sister.

As Kaname walked by Yoko, he nodded at her and she nodded back.

Yuki observed all this from her accustomed tree branch and wondered what type of person her brother was. Although he looked like Yoko, his aura had a faintly intimidating edge (reminding her of her mother), and even through her familiar, Yuki could sense he was much stronger than herself.

At the exact moment he passed under her tree, he suddenly looked up, right at her butterfly, his gaze steely. His chilly dark eyes seemed to drill directly into hers, even though she was many miles away.

With a jolt, she sprang up from her chair, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

Had he sensed her?

He definitely had; he was still looking right at her familiar right now!

Yuki gulped hard and directed her familiar to flutter off.

She should have trained on hiding her aura more, as her mother had told her too. Yuki berated herself for slacking off and not doing so, now she had been caught!

Pacing around nervously, she reviewed the unexpected turn of events in her head.

Wasn’t she worrying too much? It is not as if he could identify who she was just from her familiar alone. Besides, what would he do anyway? All she had done was innocently observe from the distance, and it is not like he would be able to track her down from just this. And even if he did track her down somehow, what could he possibly do to her? She was his sister, not his enemy!

Yuki stopped her agitated pacing and breathed in deeply, forcing her nerves to settle down.

After what just happened, her brother was probably going to be on the lookout from now on. Yuki concluded that it was probably better for her to not spy on Yoko for a while, and to only observe her when Kaname onii-sama was not around.

She wondered why she had to feel so guilty simply for spying on her own twin sister, it was really odd and even humorous when she thought about it. It was not like she was a perverted voyeur peeping at unsuspecting women bathing!

She shook her head, trying to clear her sense of discomfiture.

It was alright, she would reunite with them eventually, and would be able to look at her sister as much as she wanted then. For now, she should concentrate on those math problems her mother had instructed her to have completed by the end of the night, along with her daily reading assignment.

Looking down at the worksheet laid in front of her on her desk, she felt her panic surging again. There were around 30 problems, and she had only done 3 so far…if she failed to finish the practice set by the end of the night, she would be punished by having dessert withheld for a week and being assigned extra homework. Her mother was already annoyed with her for having failed her biology quiz earlier this week, she could not afford another strike.

Glancing up at the clock, she was appalled to see how much time she had wasted watching her sister. Yuki ran her fingers through her hair, feeling ready to cry and wishing Maria were here to help her. She really loathed geometry with all her heart and railed against whichever mathematician had discovered it. Why bother learning geometry when nobody used it in their everyday lives anyway?

Moaning like a beached whale in the depths of despair, she resigned herself to her awaiting tasks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daiginjo-shu is sake (rice wine) where at least 50% of the rice is polished away. And the siblings’ paths finally start to cross, ten chapters into the story lol…


	11. Valentine's Day

It was that time of the year in which almost all Day Class girls worked themselves into a frenzy – Valentine’s Day.

As early as a week ago, most girls had been spending a lot of time in the classrooms where home economics class was held, making use of the cooking utensils and appliances to create handmade chocolates for their crushes in the Night Class. The aroma of cocoa butter and various fruits had permeated the entire second floor of the school building for the past few days.

The girls with less confidence in their culinary skills settled for going into town to visit the local chocolatier and buying pre-made chocolates sold in heart shaped boxes adorned with pretty ribbons. Some of them also went to the stationary shop to purchase note cards and decorative envelopes, planning to pour their heart out in written confessions.

Now the day they had eagerly awaited had finally come, and the impatient fangirls had started lining up as early as the afternoon, behind the barricades the prefects and groundskeepers had set.

The entire pathway leading from the entrance of the Moon Dorm gates to the main lecture building was barricaded. Starting from the Dorm Gates, every few feet of barricading were reserved with a banner displaying the name of a particular Night Class student. The fans of that student would line up in that area and await their turn to hand their gifts over to said individual. It was one of their rare chances to be so close to their crushes and some even got to shake hands with their target of affection.

While the day’s hysteria was dominated by the Day Class females, some of their male counterparts were also eagerly looking forward to their chance to meet their female idols in the Night Class. This was most exemplified by Kasumi Kageyama, their studious and bespectacled class president who had a most conspicuous crush on the beautiful Ruka of the long, ash-blonde curls. Although the vampire had always spurned his affections, he was still loyally devoted to her. Yoko and the twins could not help but be impressed by his honest and unwavering adoration for Ruka.

It was not only the Night Class students that had admirers, the prefects themselves were rather popular.

Even the Day Class females had noticed how handsome the prefect twins were, with their uncommon silver hair and light violet eyes. Some girls gushed over Zero’s reliable stoicism while others preferred Ichiru’s smooth-talking ways and boyish charm. They received their fair amount of chocolate, with Ichiru laughing and accepting gracefully while Zero nodded and muttered his thanks stiffly. Yoko herself received a few flowers from some male admirers, who she thanked in her usual cordial but detached manner.

The sun was now setting, and the prefects were stationed along the barricaded corridor, ensuring that none of the crazy fangirls went too far. The whole affair had an atmosphere like that of a football game, complete with frenzied and screaming fans. As the Night Dorm Gate finally opened and the Night Class walked out, led by their leader Kaname, the screaming got even louder.

Most of the Night Class boys went to their reserved sections and collected their gifts, some (notably Aido) going so far as to flirt with the swooning fangirls. High pitched squeals emanated from his fans as he did his infamous finger gun gesture, pretending to shoot a heart at his victim and winking suggestively after pulling the trigger.

The three prefects were doing a decent job keeping the fangirls from acting wild. Ichiru knew how to charm his way into getting the girls to stay orderly and civilized, while Zero’s silent but resolute stares made the girls back down. Yoko herself carried a calm and authoritative air, as if she were a walking courthouse and her polite but firm directions were heeded.

Out of the three school guardians, Yoko was the one the fangirls feared the most, despite her gentle demeanor. Those that broke school rules even just once had all faced Yoko, who would hold up a copy of the student handbook, turned to the very page containing the rule they had broken, and explain how they had violated school rules, thereby risking being expelled. When Yoko confronted a student about their prohibited behavior, she was like an unwavering prosecutor bent on bringing the gavel of justice down.

Every single student who had faced her could never excuse themselves or argue their way out of the situation, because Yoko would simply smile charmingly before barraging them with a highly logical and flawless defense of her assessment, peppered with bits of legal jargon, to which none of them could respond, because they knew they were completely and utterly wrong. Those who failed to take her warnings seriously and continued to break school rules were all expelled, no exceptions given.

The fangirls had learned not to mess with Yoko after a particular incident in which she got one of their former classmates expelled.

* * *

Naomi Harada had been an infamous troublemaker who had acted as though rules did not apply to her. She would often talk disrespectfully to teachers, bully the poorer students, and was generally a nuisance. She frequently bragged about her father being an important politician and her family wealth. The other students disliked her but feared her, so they did not confront her. The headmaster tried talking to her, but she had responded negatively, and bought up the fact that her mother had donated money for the construction of the school’s fitness center, thus they should be grateful to her.

Thankfully for everyone, the girl finally slipped up one night when Yoko caught her trying to sneak into the Moon Dorm. Naomi had wanted to set up a hidden camera in Kaname’s bedroom, apparently having no regard for the privacy of others. When Yoko escorted her to the headmaster’s office and informed her that she would be expelled for her final violation of school rules, Naomi had thrown a fit and raged about how her father would shut the school down. In her anger she had even struck Yoko across the face, to the consternation of the headmaster and the twins who were present. She would have hit again but Yoko had grabbed her wrist and coolly told her she would let her have that slap but not another.

The very next day Naomi’s parents arrived at Cross Academy and their angry voices were heard clearly through the headmaster’s shut office doors. Before they departed in their limousine with their disgraced daughter, the father memorably yelled loud enough for all students present to hear, that the academy had just signed its death warrant. That evening as the Night Class passed by on their way to lecture, Ichiru was coincidentally telling some of his classmates how crazy Harada had behaved the night before and how she had even slapped Yoko.

A few weeks later, the news reported that a certain Minister Harada in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet had been arrested and removed on multiple charges of bribery and extortion. Not long after, there was news that the grocery retail company Harada Supermarkets had gone bankrupt. Although Zero had no proof, he was sure Kuran had something to do with this change of fortunes for the Harada family. At the very least, Zero knew his twin well enough to know it wasn’t simply coincidence Ichiru had said what he had when Kuran passed by. Zero did not rebuke Ichiru though. And for once, he did not disagree with Kuran.

* * *

As the Night Class made their way down the path to the main building, Kaname eventually came to where Yoko was stationed. Without halting his step, he smiled at her as he passed by, and she nodded at him in acknowledgement, before quickly returning her attention to her duties.

 _How like her to stay focused on the job_ , he thought.

In fact, she seemed so focused on her job and schoolwork that he questioned if she ever spared a second to think about boys and romance.

He knew she had some admirers, given her good looks, but they had all been too bashful to confess to her directly. It seemed that while Yoko’s physical appearance was attractive, her personality was so reserved that most guys instinctively sensed she was someone to admire from afar, but not someone to actually pursue. The most they ever did was hand her flowers, stutter some awkward words thanking her for her hard work as school prefect, and run away, ashamed of themselves for having failed to confess.

Kaname was glad that no boys had successfully confessed to her, it saved him the trouble of having to scare them off. He would only accept someone cream of the crop for her, and so far, all the boys he had seen fell far from his standards.

On Yoko’s part, she had never displayed any interest in dating and romance. Kaname had always thought it hilarious how unlike Haruka and Juri she was. While those two were over the top with their cuddling and flirting, Yoko was the exact opposite of them. This difference can be seen in how her parents had adored Valentine’s Day.

It had been Haruka and Juri’s custom to take the day off and spend the whole day pretending to be humans. They would go out in the daytime to watch a movie at the cinema, go shopping, dancing, or visiting a park, and finish the day off by eating dinner at some fancy restaurant. This seemed to be a relic from the time when Juri had attended a human high school and Haruka had chased after her. Ever since Kaname had been adopted as their son, he had been (reluctantly on his part) bought along on their dates. He would sit with an unimpressed frown on his face, trying to ignore their pink glittery world and pray for the day to quickly come to an end.

In contrast, Yoko’s views on Valentine’s Day was tolerant but disinterested. Kaname had once asked her what she thought about Valentine’s Day, and her response had simply been a dispassionate “it is good for the economy.”

Furthermore, in all the years Kaname had known her, she had never bothered giving him or anyone else chocolate.

The previous year, when classes ended and he had a brief moment alone with her as she finished her prefect duties, he had asked her playfully about not receiving any chocolate from her. She had looked up from marking the roster of students and regarded him with a mildly surprised expression.

“I was not aware you wanted chocolate Kaname senpai, since you always have Seiren-san collect them for you instead, but if you desire it, I will buy some for you next time.”

“You won’t make them yourself?” he had asked, slightly amused that she was unintentionally treating him as though he were a child wanting sweets.

“It would be better for me to purchase them, Ichiru has informed me on several occasions that my attempts at cooking are almost lethal.”

He had laughed, and mentally scolded the younger hunter twin for his rude honesty.

She had then looked down unsure, and had apologized, to his utter bewilderment.

“What are you saying sorry for, Yoko?”

“Sometimes I feel as if Kaname senpai wants me to be a certain way, but I can’t force myself to be what I am not. I know both Kaname-senpai and father want me to be a more outgoing, happier, and cuter person, like the girls that take the time to make chocolate for their crushes, instead of being the way I am.”

He had been at a loss for words initially, for she had not been wrong.

Sometimes he found himself wishing she was more open, at least with him, and more expressive with her feelings like her late mother had been.

Somewhere along the way, he had sensed that she was keeping parts of herself hidden from him, unlike when she had been a young child that had embraced him without reserve and with her joy at seeing him clear in her eyes. He supposed it was inevitable that as children grew up, they all become slightly unfamiliar.

“Yoko, there is no need to apologize,” he had finally said softly. “I like you the way you are, even with your concerning bookworm tendencies and dangerous cooking skills.”

She had smiled slightly at his reply.

 _And you are cute, the way you try so hard to be more mature than your age_ , he had thought before giving her a gentle pat on her unruly hair and retreating to the Moon Dorm.

* * *

The following evening, Zero wrung a wet towel, the icy cold water dripping back into the basin. He folded the towel neatly before placing it on the burning hot forehead of his twin brother, who was currently lying in bed.

Ichiru’s skin was visibly flushed, and his dark blue cotton pajamas were soaked through with sweat. Although Ichiru had suffered from poor health all his life, with serious bouts of sickness interspersed with periods of normalcy, in the past months his fevers have become more frequent, occurring every other month.

After wiping the excess sweat off his brother’s face and neck with another cloth, Zero carried the stainless steel basin to the bathroom and emptied it, then replaced the basin on the washstand.

Glancing at the clock, Zero realized it was time to go and prevent the rabid Day Class fan girls from harassing the Night Class. He quickly slipped his holster over his vest and put on the uniform jacket. At the doorway, he turned to take one last look at Ichiru who was sleeping before closing the door shut. He would return to check on his brother as soon as he was done with his rounds.

* * *

Zero and Ichiru had started attending Cross Academy as fulltime students two years ago.

Even before that, when they were younger, their parents had frequently left them in the care of Cross for months on end while they attended to their hunter duties. Despite missing them, their parents had decided it was safer for the twins to be left with Kaien Cross, and that it was better for the boys not to have to move around all the time. Thus, the twins had been Yoko’s classmates at the local middle school, although Zero sometimes skipped a month of school here and there because he had to attend hunter training with Yagari-sensei.

Ever since his parents and Yagari-sensei had determined Ichiru to be unfit for being a hunter, his parents had opted to let Ichiru live a normal life instead. Zero had refused to be parted from his sickly twin and had begged his parents to let him stay with Ichiru. After much discussion they had relented, and allowed Zero to join the academy with Ichiru, on the condition that he keep up with his training, and take on the responsibility of hunting level E’s in the area surrounding the academy. The headmaster also had a condition, which is that he and Ichiru (when healthy) assist Yoko with her prefect duties.

Although Zero sometimes missed his parents, he had grown accustomed to being apart from them ever since childhood, due to their frequent and long absences. They would manage fine without him; his mother and father had hunted together for a long time and watched each other’s backs. The one he could not be apart from was Ichiru, since his younger twin was often sick. Ichiru needed him, and he had sworn to always be there for his younger brother.

Despite how annoying it was to have to face off with the fan girls every day, it was a small price to pay for staying by Ichiru’s side. And if Zero were to be completely honest, he rather enjoyed school life.

He liked attending class with other people his age and learning about math, science, and the humanities. He also liked the recreational classes offered, especially horseback riding. One of the horses, a foul-tempered mare that went by the deceptively gentle name of White Lily held a special place in his heart. For some reason, the horse refused to let all others but him ride her. It was always amusing seeing the unfortunate students cower in fear before the tempestuous horse.

And although the prefect duties could be demanding, he enjoyed spending time with Ichiru and Yoko. After the procession of Night Class students had safely arrived at their classrooms without being mobbed by their passionate fans, Yoko, Ichiru, and he would often joke about which one of their fellow Day Class students won the title of “Most Avid Fan” for the day.

Besides the classes and guardian responsibilities, he appreciated living with Cross and Yoko. Although the headmaster was an eccentric who concocted equally eccentric dishes such as pork spareribs sautéed with soda, and instant noodles garnished with avocado and beans, Zero knew the man tried his best. Cross was only surpassed in his disastrous cooking by Yoko, who cannot be trusted to even boil an egg without undesirably changing the egg’s taste. Despite the culinary threats he and Ichiru were constantly exposed to living with that father and daughter duo, life with them was stable and relaxed. He did not have to move constantly across the country, forever chasing after the next hunter assignment.

At times he could almost forget he was a hunter and pretend he and Ichiru were just normal civilian twins, attending a boarding school filled with privileged rich kids.

* * *

As the Day Class girls screamed their lungs out and waved at the parade of Night Class students that walked past on their way to lecture, Zero sighed and furrowed his brows, still worried about Ichiru. He hoped the Night Class students would walk faster so he could be done with this duty and return to Ichiru’s side.

Yoko who was standing a few feet from him noticed his troubled expression. She inched closer, still keeping an eye on the overly enthusiastic fangirls, and got his attention with a gentle tap on his shoulder.

“Zero, how is Ichiru doing? Did his fever go down at all?”

Zero shook his head and she frowned at the news.

At that moment, Kaname Kuran passed by, and Zero wondered if it was just his imagination, but Kuran seemed to have looked at him with a calculating expression for just a second or two. Then again, it would be no surprise that the pureblood leader of the night class was scheming something. Even he, a hunter, knew how rife with political conflicts and backstabbing the vampire world was. That look was probably not directed at him, but a mere reflection of Kuran’s inner thoughts.

Zero shrugged it off and his thoughts soon returned to his ailing twin.

* * *

Later that night Zero and Yoko patrolled the campus grounds for mischievous Day Class girls that wanted to sneak into the Moon Dorm. Unfortunately, these incidents were not uncommon, with at least 3 occurring per week. The offending students often snuck out from their rooms after curfew, made their way past the headmaster’s private residence, skirted the nearby lake, crept through some wooded areas, swam across the small river separating the human and vampire dorms, and slithered through more stretches of trees before arriving at their destination. Zero wished those girls saved their determination and energy for testing into the country’s special defense forces instead of testing his patience as a prefect.

Thankfully, the number of students attempting this dangerous and unauthorized journey had been drastically cut down ever since Yoko made an example of Naomi and got the headmaster to add a new stipulation in the student handbook. Students that were caught sneaking into the Moon Dorm were now automatically expelled upon their second strike, no appeals allowed. Despite her calm air, Yoko could be ruthless when upholding the rules, and was much less lenient than the headmaster.

As Zero finished inspecting the woods on the east side of the Moon Dorm and rounded the corner, he was met with the sight of Kaname Kuran leaning against the nearby wall, arms crossed and a genteel smile adorning his lips. Zero halted his tracks, stopping a few meters from the pureblood.

Zero looked suspiciously at the pureblood before him. Although logically he knew the brunet would not attack him, he bought his hand to his gun, feeling the handle in his palm. It was better to be safe than sorry…

“Kuran, what do you want? You must have better things to do with your time than standing here in this isolated area for no reason.”

“Kiryu-san, no need to look so anxious,” the brunet pureblood protested.

Kaname continued smiling with his practiced politeness, but his voice was not mirthful. “I simply want to have a little chat with you.”

“I don’t think there is anything for us to discuss. Although you are close to Yoko, I am a hunter and you are a vampire – we are enemies.”

Zero did not exactly hate the pureblood, since he had not done anything to him personally. However, he was born and raised in a hunter family, and had heard numerous tragic stories of hunters being turned against their will by malicious purebloods. Another hunter who had trained under Yagari-sensei with him, had had to kill his own older brother who had been turned and fallen to level E. It was only natural for him to be wary of this pureblood who was now scrutinizing him with an unreadable expression.

“Don’t be so hostile, aren’t hunters only supposed to go after vampires that have broken the laws? It would be quite a problem if hunters were to stray and start hunting my kind with no regard,” the pureblood spoke smoothly, his concern clearly tongue-in-cheek as he was still smiling amusedly.

Zero glared at him. “I have no time for your bored antics. Move before I move you.”

Kaname smirked at the threat. “It would be interesting to see if you are capable of that, but I did not come here to fight. If I told you there is a way for Ichiru to get better, and not be afflicted with any more fevers for the rest of his life, would you be willing to chat?”

The pureblood gazed at him with his deep brown eyes, watching the clearly startled expression flicker across the young hunter’s face.

“You! What do you mean, Kuran? How do you even know about Ichiru’s condition?” Zero gasped and asked warily.

Zero could not help but pursue the topic, despite knowing better than getting entangled with purebloods and all their cunning acts.

The pureblood smirked mysteriously at him.

“Even I can notice that Ichiru has been missing from prefect duties for a while, leaving you and Yoko to handle all those Day Class girls. I am also aware of the curse behind hunter twins. For both you and Ichiru to be born alive is quite a miracle...your parents must have been so relieved.”

Zero stayed silent for a minute, cautiously studying the pureblood leaning casually before him.

“Even so, Ichiru’s condition is none of your business. You wouldn’t be asking about him out of goodness of your heart. What exactly do you want?”

“Yes, you are right… I am here to make a deal. I can save Ichiru by giving him my blood, and in exchange, I just need you to kill a certain vampire for me,” Kaname stated simply without batting an eyelash, as though this was a most common negotiation.

Zero was taken aback by how blunt and candid the pureblood had been, he had expected him to beat around the bush longer. Even more concerning was what he had said. With widened eyes, he stared in disbelief at the pureblood.

He had heard about the miraculous powers contained within the blood of purebloods and was not skeptical of Kuran’s claims that his blood would help Ichiru. However, he was keenly aware of how valuable their blood was, with all the lower tiered vampires craving that ruby liquid which flowed through their pureblood superiors’ veins, willing to give up their entire life savings and even kill to obtain even a few drops. If Kuran was offering him his blood at the cost of killing a certain vampire, then that vampire must be someone very difficult or even illegal to kill.

“Kuran,” Zero growled, “Even if what you say is true, you must be delusional thinking I would just kill any vampire at your order. I will only hunt those on the list approved by the hunter association.”

Kaname narrowed his eyes coldly, his relaxed manner dropping for the first time throughout their interaction.

“Kiryu, you can be assured that my blood will definitely cure your brother. As for the issue of your ethics, you have quite some misplaced faith in that association. It would not be hard for a well-connected vampire to slip a name onto that list which you uphold so staunchly. I am being courteous by asking you directly,” he paused and observed the offense in the hunter’s eyes. “Besides, the one I want you to exterminate is not someone you would mind killing anyway, he is a threat to everyone, even if he isn’t officially placed on the list.”

“Kuran, do you really think I would trust you, a pureblood vampire, over the association my own family has been a part of for centuries, stretching back to its very foundation?”

Zero glared daggers at the brunet, angry at the implications behind the pureblood’s words. Disturbingly though, he could not shake off the other male’s words as easily as he wanted to. He berated himself for being tempted momentarily by the crafty words of the pureblood.

The brunet stared hard at him, his irises glinting like garnets in the darkness. After a few tense seconds, he sighed softly and uncrossed his arms.

“I see I won’t be getting anywhere with this discussion tonight. However, my offer still stands, and you know where to find me when you finally think it through properly. You are a smart boy Zero, so you will make the correct choice in the end.”

Having delivered his message, Kaname walked away, melting into the shadows and leaving behind a slightly rattled Zero, who kept turning his words over in his mind.

‘ _I can save Ichiru.’_

Zero clenched his fist at that phrase, before turning to punch the nearby brick wall. He felt the skin of his knuckles chafe and burn at the rough contact. Sinking down into the grass, he ran his other hand through his silvery hair in his turmoil.

The doctors from the Hunter Association had always been cautious in their prognoses whenever they examined the ailing Ichiru. They would always preface their assessment by mentioning how hunter twins have never been born before with both twins alive, and how it was already a miracle that Ichiru had lived so long. Zero and his parents would hold their breaths, waiting anxiously for the doctors to tell them if Ichiru would make it through the night or not. The doctors would tell them to be prepared for the worse, and warn them even if Ichiru recovered that time, he might not do so the next time he relapsed. None of the doctors they consulted expect Ichiru to survive into adulthood.

 _I can’t, I won’t accept Kuran’s offer. No good can come out of entering into a deal with a pureblood vampire_ , he thought and argued with himself. _Ichiru will get better even without Kuran’s blood. The doctors have always been wrong. For all these years, Ichiru’s sickness has pushed him to the brink of life and death, but he has always recovered, and will continue doing so._

Having temporarily convinced himself of his brother’s eventual convalescence, Zero forced himself to stand back up. He brushed aside the conversation with Kuran and concentrated on finishing the patrol so he could return to his room and tend to his bedridden brother. Ichiru was waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those Day Class girls be scared of Yoko because unlike Yuki who got pushed around in canon, they know Yoko don’t play, she will verbally execute you without blinking. And TBH I feel like Haruka and Juri were already usually over the top with their lovey-doveyness, imagine that amped up 10x on Valentine's Day. RIP toddler Kaname for having to face them under those circumstances. Also, that small section on the expelled girl was inspired by some J drama I saw where some rich high schoolers were massive bullies to the poor scholarship kids, SMH.


	12. Paths Converge

It had been a few weeks since Yoko had last gone to town, since her father did not like her leaving the schoolgrounds other than when necessary. He had allowed her to go this time accompanied by Zero and Ichiru to buy groceries, having run out of vegetables and meat for their dinner.

Ichiru was in one of his healthier spells and had whined and begged his older brother to tag along, complaining that he would sooner die of boredom than from sickness. Zero being who he was had caved in and had allowed him to come along, but under the condition that he be dressed up warmly from neck to toe.

Since it was an autumn day, Yoko herself was wearing a thick, dark purple sweater over a collared, button up shirt and black jeans with knee-length boots. It was not quite chilly enough for an overcoat yet. As usual, her unruly curls were tied into a messy ponytail.

Right now, she was standing outside the pharmacy, waiting for Zero and Ichiru to finish purchasing some medication in preparation of the frequent fevers Ichiru was prone to during the winter. As she waited, she observed the passersby and the autumn scenery. Some mothers walked by, pushing babies in strollers, or tugging their kids along. A few shopkeepers and employees stepped out of their workplaces for a quick smoking break. It was a mid-sized, idyllic town, made even more picturesque by the orange, red, and yellow colors of autumn.

Something caught her eye – on the branch of a nearby tree, there was a butterfly with light yellow wings. If it were not for the butterfly’s fluttering wings, Yoko would have missed it, given how well it camouflaged with the orange and yellow leaves of the tree.

 _How odd, to see a butterfly at this time of the year_ , she thought. _Perhaps it had escaped from a nearby greenhouse?_

It reminded her of the butterflies she had caught sight of all throughout summer. For whatever reason, this past summer there had been more butterflies than usual. Whenever she sat in the school garden to read among the blooming morning glories and irises, a butterfly hovered nearby, sometimes even landing on her hair or shoulders. When she leisurely strolled around the school grounds, a butterfly followed her. Perhaps the gardener had made some change to the gardens that attracted more pollinators?

As she pondered the unnatural sighting, the bell over the pharmacy door chimed as the door opened and Zero and Ichiru exited.

Zero came over to where she stood, and as he got nearer, something made him feel on edge. It was the feeling of being watched. He scanned their surroundings but did not notice anything strange – wait, there was a butterfly present in this time of the year?

As though it had sensed his wariness, the butterfly fluttered its wings and took off.

Zero shook his head, perhaps he was imagining things. In any case his instincts had not sensed a malicious presence. He beckoned to Yoko and they set off for their next destination, the farmer’s market. It still irked him a bit how the headmaster had been so careless that he had forgotten to stock up on ingredients. The pantry back in the house was completely empty except for a few dusty cans, relics from who knows when.

Hopefully, they would be able to purchase all the produce they needed before the market closed for the day. Zero was tired of living on (probably expired) canned food like they had been doing for the past few days and was determined to cook a replenishing and hearty meal tonight. Although Yoko and the headmaster seemed perfectly content eating canned beans and fish three meals in a row, those two were abnormal in their gastronomic tendencies. He and Ichiru needed real food, his brother especially, considering his naturally weak constitution.

* * *

The sun was already starting to set when they finally finished their shopping. It would be completely dark by the time they made it back to Cross Academy. Yoko carried the paper bag filled to the brim with produce, the leafy tops of carrots hanging out and Ichiru carried the lighter bag of freshly baked bread and desserts (mostly for him and the headmaster, since neither she nor Zero were into sweets).

Zero who had been walking in front of them came to a sudden halt. He turned around and she noticed he was wearing a grim frown. Ichiru saw Zero’s expression and understood immediately that he had sensed a vampire near them.

A few seconds later, they heard a woman’s loud and anxious cry.

“Help! Someone help! My daughter, my daughter has been taken by some man!”

They looked back to see a small crowd forming a block away, around a woman who had collapsed on the ground, sobbing and pointing in the direction the kidnapper had gone. Zero’s face darkened and he thrusted the bag from the butchers at Yoko, who accepted it, managing to hold on to both bags without dropping anything.

The kidnapper was probably the vampire he had sensed just now.

“Ichiru, stay here with Yoko. I am going after the kidnapper.”

Ichiru nodded.

Although he was nowhere near as fit as Zero given his health conditions, he was still capable of some self-defense. Fortunately, he was carrying some charmed hunter talismans on him which can immobilize a level E temporarily and give them time to run. He also carried a small combat knife with anti-vampire properties, a hunter weapon his parents had given to him on the sly to protect himself in case of emergency. It was not the most impressive set up, but he would still be able to protect himself and Yoko if push came to shove.

Zero took off in the indicated direction, disappearing into a small alley as Ichiru and Yoko moved aside to a corner and waited for him. Although they were worried about him, they knew he had considerable experience hunting level E’s. Given the expectations the Hunter Association had for him, Zero had started going on hunts since he was 14 years old.

 _The Hunter Association and everyone else only expects things from Zero, but not the hopeless and weak me_ , Ichiru thought with a hint of bitterness, but quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

Ever since Ichiru could remember, he had always admired his strong and kind older brother. However, as they grew older, a small darkness grew and festered in him. A part of him was resentful of Zero, wondering why he had to be so weak while Zero was so strong, even though they shared the same genes. He had been constantly trying to suppress these ugly feelings and had channeled his efforts into mastering hunter spells, something that required less physical exertion. Thankfully his hard work paid off, and he was proud to say that at least in this field, he outshined his multi-talented brother.

After extensive research and tinkering, Ichiru had succeeded in strengthening the immobilizing power of the hunter talismans to three times their usual magnitude two years ago. Even Yagari-sensei had been impressed and had asked him to craft some for him and his colleagues in the field. For the first time in his life, he had been acknowledged by his parents and Yagari-sensei, and he had consequently been elated for weeks afterwards. The experience had further motivated him, and he was currently working on a bigger and more ambitious spell for use in the field, with completion being within reach soon.

Although Ichiru had been deemed unfit for life as a hunter, it was hard to stay away from things concerning hunters when everyone else in his family was an active member of the association.

Even without becoming a hunter, he could still help with some of the “backstage” aspects. Members of hunter families that failed to qualify as hunters stayed involved with the Hunter Association by performing administrative and clerical duties at headquarters. Some helped maintain the hunter weaponry, of which there was a limited amount, given that they were all forged from the same parent metal in the furnace underneath the headquarters.

In the future, Ichiru hoped to get a job in the weaponry department. He was confident he could figure out how to amplify the spells cast on the hunter weapons and make them even more powerful at inhibiting the unnatural regenerative powers of vampires.

The nearby crowds were already dispersing, and within a quarter of an hour, it was just Yoko and Ichiru left on the otherwise empty avenue. Most people were probably already home eating dinner at this time.

Ichiru leaned back against the wall and stared up blankly, wondering how long Zero will take. Just as he was about to close his eyes and doze off, he heard the shrill wailing of a baby, and saw a man carrying a crying baby leap off the building adjacent to them, and land on the street only a few feet away from them.

Both Ichiru and Yoko froze in shock.

The man (clearly a vampire given his unnatural ability to jump and land unscathed from a two-floor building) glanced back and Ichiru started, seeing that his eyes were glowing red. The vampire had already fallen to level E, as evidenced by his maniacal expression, clawed fingers, and unkempt appearance. Another woman’s desperate scream calling for help broke out, and the vampire quickly took off down an alley opposite the direction Zero had gone.

At that moment Ichiru was overtaken by the irrational desire to chase after the kidnapper vampire. Although his decision to give chase was mostly motivated by the desire to rescue the innocent baby from almost certain doom at the hands of the crazed vampire, a smaller motivation was the selfish desire to prove himself. He could trap the level E with his talismans and contain him while waiting for Zero to arrive and deal the final blow. Yoko would probably be safe since she had her Artemis rod with her.

“Stay here and tell Zero I’ve gone after the other vampire when he gets back,” he barked at Yoko and took off before she could protest his decision.

Yoko stared in frustration at his back as he too disappeared down an alley.

Although Ichiru was feeling fine now, who knows when he might relapse? His fevers snuck up unannounced, he could be fine in the morning and confined to bed by night. He might not even be fully recovered from his last bout of sickness. It was too dangerous for him to go alone, and she would never forgive herself if something happened to him.

At that moment she hated how weak she was as a regular human. Although humans had accomplished amazing feats, when they were stripped of their weapons and technology, they were among the lowest on nature’s power pyramid.

Yoko glanced down the alley Zero had ran off into but did not see any indication he was coming back soon. She slipped her hand into her bag, feeling the comforting, cool metal of the Artemis rod in its compact form, and made up her mind. Leaving the bags of groceries behind, she took off after Ichiru.

* * *

Kaname’s acute vampiric senses told him there were around 5 level E’s running rogue in town. He had left Cross Academy accompanied by a few select followers to take care of this problem, before the Hunter Association stepped in. Since he was the pureblood responsible for the vampires at Cross Academy, every time some trouble sprouted up involving vampires in the vicinity, the Hunter Association was quick to blame him for letting problems happen on his watch. Kaname intensely disliked the hunters and refused to give them of all people any ammunition for criticizing him.

Standing at the intersection of two smaller and less frequented streets, he had dispatched them in pairs and sent them after the targets. Takuma had been paired with Senri, and Aido with Kain. He now stood by himself, observing the sunset and waiting for their return. It should not take long, his followers were aristocrats and their opponents were simply level E’s, on the lowest rung of their pyramid.

The only problem with Level E’s is that they had already lost their sanity, and thus made unpredictable moves, like desperate, hunted animals that made one final reckless charge to take their predators down with them. If not careful, the hunter could end up harmed because they underestimated the untamed ferocity of the level E. However, Kaname trusted his followers were more than capable of dealing with level E’s without sustaining a single scratch to themselves.

As Kaname waited, he pondered the recent surge of level Es in the surrounding towns, and felt his anger simmer at the thought of how that depraved descendant of his was finally making his move and causing all these problems even before he showed up. Why had someone like Rido, who had no regard for the sanctity of the lives of others, been born from his blood?

His insidious inner voice interrupted him. _Rido took after your dirty aspects, that’s why. For the sake of your goals, you are willing to sacrifice others too, he is simply more open about his desires and deeds than you_. The voice laughed, the sound harsh and grating, before disappearing again into the depths of his mind.

Kaname clenched his eyes shut, trying to calm down, and after a minute or so, he reestablished his inner equilibrium. It was annoying thinking too much, and certain things he wanted to avoid always found a way to slip past the mental barrier he had erected, tormenting him.

* * *

Yoko had run down several streets and checked several alleys, with this being the latest, but Ichiru was still nowhere in sight.

She paused to rest for a bit, but her head snapped up when she heard a loud noise of wood and glass breaking behind her. Looking back, she saw a figure rise from the ground, having fallen through some wooden milk crates that were placed below the wall. It was a male vampire with eerily glowing red eyes peering from behind his long and scraggly hair. He was like the other vampire who had appeared before her and Ichiru earlier, both bringing to mind insane patients that had escaped from an asylum.

Her instincts screamed at her to flee, but her feet were frozen in place due to fear. This was the first close encounter she had with a level E vampire and she suddenly became keenly aware of how alone she was. She was once again reminded of how impressive Zero was, to constantly deal with frightening beings like this. The vampire looked at her and sniffed the air.

“You smell good.” He cocked his head and examined her with more interest, “You probably taste delicious.”

The vampire twisted his mouth into a disturbing grin and the realization of the dire situation snapped Yoko out of her inactivity. She quickly drew the Artemis rod out of her bag and extended it to its full length. Even if the odds were obviously against her, she would not go down without struggle.

It was not like she had much of a choice though. Only by putting up a fight could she hope to stall him off long enough for help to arrive. Her rod was simply a rod, useful for defense, but useless for more than that. Unlike Zero’s weapon, the Artemis rod was not capable of killing. And even if it was capable, she wondered if she herself was capable of ending someone else’s life…

Before she could warn him to stay back, he lunged at her, and she barely dodged out of his way. He quickly went after her again, and she managed to aim her rod at his head and hit him straight in the left eye. With a loud wail, he clutched his eye, and she took the time to run towards the larger and hopefully more populated street.

She was only a human, without the enhanced speed and strength of the hunters and vampires. There was no way she could beat him, so the wisest option was to run and call for help. Hopefully Zero was nearby…

However, with his enhanced speed, the level E managed to recover from his pain and started running after her. Within half a minute, he overtook her and forced her up against the wall.

Before he could bite her with those large glistening fangs, she rammed the rod into his mouth and held him back with both arms extended. He snarled angrily like a wild animal caught in a trap. As he struggled, he managed to claw her left arm, cutting through the yarn of her sweater with ease with his sharp claws. Yoko winced as his blade-like nails cut into her skin and drew blood. Gritting her teeth, she kept pushing him back despite the burning pain in her arm and watched his crazed facial expression.

His eyes were glowing red with blood lust, and he was still biting the rod, all signs of rational thinking having deserted him. The only thing he understood was the need to drink blood.

Despite the grim situation, seeing someone who used to be human become a being controlled by their basest desire to devour blood made her pity him. She wondered what he used to be like when he was still human. Did he have family waiting for him? If he had family, they would be heartbroken if they saw him reduced to this mindless state.

The rod shocked him with its anti-vampiric properties, and he finally released his bite and staggered back a few steps, growling. He stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly lunging forward again to attack. She was able to avoid the brunt of his attack, but he managed to slash her right upper leg. Her blood seeped out and drenched her jeans rapidly.

Yoko squeezed her leg with her free hand, trying to staunch the bleeding and simultaneously pushed her mind to think of an escape plan. With her limited abilities, her best bet was to hold the level E back while waiting for Zero to show up and deal with him. Unfortunately, that was not likely to happen. Instead, she would probably be drained and dead before help arrived. She hoped that at the very least, Ichiru was not in a similar predicament as her…

The vampire gnashed his teeth and glared at her with its eerie red eyes.

She felt her head starting to spin from her blood loss and realized with some apprehension that he had probably severed the femoral artery. That is bad…even if he didn’t drain her to death, she would probably bleed to death within minutes.

The dizziness overwhelmed her, and she sagged against the wall, her grip on her rod loosening. With a dull clunk, Artemis slipped out of her grasp, falling onto the cold ground and rolling a foot away. She tried to keep her eyes on the level E who was still looking at her, but her vision was already going blurry. All her senses were slowly going dull, and her heart thumped loudly in her ears as it rushed to pump blood to her lower extremities.

Despite the fuzziness in her eyes, she could see the level E creep closer, coming in for the kill.

She prepared herself for the inevitable and closed her eyes. At this point she no longer had enough strength left to run nor hold him back.

The inevitable did not come, and instead she felt someone embrace pull her into an embrace.

Yoko slowly opened her eyes to see a girl around her age, with large brown eyes and long, light brown hair looking down at her. The girl was crying, her tears falling unrestrained and she was calling her name anxiously. Yoko wondered how this stranger knew her name. Oddly, she could not help but feel that this girl that she had never met before was somehow familiar.

Looking to the side she saw that the snarling level E was now pinned to the ground by a swarm of butterflies…butterflies that looked the same as the one she had observed earlier.

“Yoko, you are bleeding so much. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you!”

The girl’s voice interrupted her drifting thoughts and Yoko wondered who she was…maybe she had met her before but had forgotten? However, her mind was now sluggish, and it was hard to think…all she wanted to do was let go and sink into the darkness.

Suddenly, she heard a loud “phwishing” sound, like that of a tower of sand crumbling. With much effort, she kept her eyes opened and turned towards the sound.

Kaname-senpai was standing near where the level-E had been, the nails on his fingers extended, and his hand covered in blood. There were specks of blood on his camel hair trench coat, and his eyes were glowing red. He held a coldly furious expression on his beautiful visage.

The last thing Yoko saw before she finally gave in to the overwhelming darkness was Kaname-senpai moving towards her, his lips moving as though sounding out her name.

* * *

Yuki clutched her sister closer to her as Kaname walked over to them, his expression still very frightening.

Yuki’s mind was a jumbled mess, all her thoughts clamoring loudly and demanding her attention. She could not keep calm; her hands were trembling, and she could not stop crying. She had no idea what to do to save Yoko. Shizuku had been right, all she knew how to do was cry. She berated herself for being so pathetic and useless…

Yuki was a vampire, and all the wounds she had ever suffered had simply healed up on their own, quick, and clean. Yet Yoko was now a human, and her cuts were not closing, and all this blood was pouring out with no sign of ceasing. Yuki did not know how to stop the flowing blood; she did not know how to stop her sister’s life from slipping away.

Yuki turned to face Kaname. He would know what to do, he had to!

“Pl-please save Yoko!” she managed to choke out a plea between her heavy sobbing.

Kaname gave a cursory glance to the girl, and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly for a second. That familiar face and coloring, as well as the aura of a fellow pureblood (though much weaker than him) – could she be?

He snapped out of his reverie, now was not the time to clarify the stranger’s identity, he needed to tend to the severely wounded Yoko first. At the very least, he was sure that whoever the stranger was, she was not the one who had harmed Yoko. In fact, she had probably saved Yoko from the level E.

The rich and alluring smell of Yoko’s blood hung heavily in the air. Takuma and the others would undoubtedly sense it soon and be alerted to what had happened.

Judging from the amount of blood drenching her clothes and spilled on the ground, she had lost a substantial amount of blood. Yoko ‘s vampire traits had been sealed, so she was just as vulnerable as a regular human. She would die of blood loss if he did not get her to a hospital soon.

Kneeling down, he quickly shrugged off his coat and tore a strip of his shirt, using the makeshift bandage to tie up Yoko’s arm and stop the bleeding. Time was of essence…he had to hurry. He furrowed his brows as he concentrated on administering first aid. It had been so long since he last had to treat someone that he felt his composure waver as he tended to her.

He had not felt such panic since the night Rido had attacked the Kuran manor. And the fear…the fear of once again losing someone important to him. He had lost too many people he loved over all the countless years he had lived…he could not lose Yoko too.

But now was not the time to wallow in fear and the past…he did not have that luxury.

“Let me carry Yoko, we need to get her to a doctor,” he stated quietly but firmly, leaving no room for dissent.

Yuki nodded meekly and released her hold. He quickly swept Yoko up in his arms.

“Follow me.” Kaname ordered without looking back at Yuki.

Not sparing even half a second to wait for her response, he morphed into a flock of bats and flew off, heading to the nearest hospital at the fastest speed he was capable of. If the human doctors could not save Yoko, he would be left with no choice but to break her seal, the very seal that Juri had given up her life for.

* * *

Kaname had managed to rush Yoko to the hospital, where the emergency room doctors quickly took over. Kaname and Yuki had sat in the waiting room, each lost in their worries as the doctors treated Yoko’s wounds and gave her a blood transfusion. After two hours of tense uncertainty, one of the doctor’s informed them that Yoko’s life was no longer in danger, although she was still unconscious and would need to rest for a while. She had then been transferred to a private patient room, in which Kaname and Yuki now sat beside her bed.

While they waited for the headmaster to arrive, Yuki fidgeted in her chair and glanced nervously out of the corner of her eye at her brother. From the moment he had ordered her to follow along, up until now, he had not said another word to her, nor glanced at her.

Now that she knew Yoko was safe, Yuki was aware that she should explain what had happened, who she was and how she meant no harm. She didn’t want her older brother mistaking her for someone with bad intentions.

She had simply been observing Yoko and lost track of her for a short period. One of the hunter twins seemed to have sensed her familiar, so she had laid low for a while. Her attention had also been momentarily drawn away by the homework that her real body had to deal with back in the mountain cottage. When she finally resumed her observation, Yoko had already disappeared from the main avenue.

By the time her swarm of butterfly familiars found Yoko again, Yoko was being attacked by a level E. In the urgency of the moment, Yuki had manifested a copy of herself from her butterfly swarm and protected her sister. Even now, the Yuki sitting beside her sister’s hospital bed was merely a duplicate, her real body and heart miles away.

She wondered if Kaname onii-sama knew her identity. He seemed to trust her enough to allow her to follow along, and to sit here in Yoko’s hospital room with him…

Yuki wanted to get it all out in the open, instead of continuing to sit here in stressful uncertainty. But she had no idea when she should start talking and questioned if she should even start talking. Although her older brother was not wearing the scary expression he had on earlier when he killed the level E, his eyes still contained a frightening darkness. He did not seem like he was in the mood for any sort of conversation.

The minutes ticked by, and they continued to sit in silence as they kept vigil at their sister’s bedside. The only sounds in the room were the reassuring humming of the medical equipment and their breathing.

After an indeterminate amount of time passed by, Yuki saw Kaname shift in his seat.

He brought his hand onto Yoko’s forehead, his eyes glowing red as he used his power to erase her memories of what had happened and substitute the missing memories with fabricated ones. Yuki glanced at him, slightly alarmed at what he was doing, but she made no attempt to stop him, knowing that would be futile and that he had his reasons. Perhaps it was better for Yoko that she did not remember this incident…she had nearly lost her life and might be traumatized.

Only a few minutes after he finished tampering with Yoko’s memories, the door opened and a few males quietly stepped in.

Yuki stood up from her seat and observed the strangers warily. The four of them appeared to be aristocrats, level B vampires like Maria-chan.

Kaname finally turned to her. “It is alright, they are not our enemies.”

At his words, Yuki recalled that she had seen those vampires before, back at Cross Academy. They had been walking behind Kaname onii-sama when the procession of Night Class students headed to the main lecture building. It seems they were part of his trusted inner clique. 

She sat back down.

A few minutes later, the door opened again, and two more people frantically rushed in. She had seen them multiple times before when she had spied on Yoko: they were the hunter twins that served as school prefects along with her sister. From what she had seen of their interactions, they were like brothers to Yoko.

While the vampires glanced at her with mild curiosity, they kept their composure and maintained their silence, waiting for their leader to speak first. Meanwhile, the twins openly stared at her, with both concern and confusion evident in their faces. However, their curiosity about her identity and what she was doing here was quickly overshadowed by their worry for Yoko.

“Kuran, what happened? Why is Yoko hurt?” The twin with hair cut shorter turned to glare at Kaname accusatorily.

“Kiryu, watch how you talk to Kaname-sama!” The blond vampire with cerulean eyes warned.

His irritation and steadfast loyalty to her brother was apparent in how quick he had been to rebuke the hunter.

Her brother raised a hand, which stopped the blond from further berating the human.

Kaname then turned to stared coldly at the twin who had spoken.

“Kiryu-san, Yoko was attacked by a level E after you and your brother both ran off, irresponsibly leaving her alone. She got badly hurt and could have died due to your negligence.”

Zero did not respond or was rather unable to, due to the veracity in the pureblood’s words. He gritted his teeth and continued glaring at the pureblood.

Yes, he knew he should not have left Yoko alone, but he had to save that child from the level E. The reason why Yoko was hurt in the first place was because of purebloods! Without purebloods, there would be no level Es, and Yoko, as well as that kidnapped child would not have been endangered.

Yuki sensed the room’s atmosphere getting tense, and she debated whether to speak up and tell them all to argue elsewhere and let Yoko rest, or if that would be inappropriate given her current position as an outsider. To her relief, someone else spoke up in her place.

“Kaname, Zero-san, the two of you need to calm down. It is clear that you are both worried about Yoko-chan, but now is not the time to be throwing blame around.” The taller, blond, vampire with green eyes interjected while placing a reassuring hand on Kaname’s shoulder.

Kaname gave Zero a hard look before turning back to face Yoko and sighing. “Takuma is right. We are not here to assign blame, that would be a waste of time. What matters is that Yoko is safe now. She lost quite some blood, but she will recover eventually.”

Zero and Ichiru glanced at each other, both sensing the other’s self-guilt. They should not have left Yoko alone, especially when they were both aware of how attractive her blood was to vampires. Even back at school, Aidou had always had the habit of flirtatiously teasing her about how “delicious” her blood smelled, having caught a whiff of her blood once when she fell and accidentally scraped her knee.

Ichiru looked down, reproaching himself for running off. Although he had managed to immobilize the level E with his talismans and wrest the traumatized baby from its claws, Zero had not arrived to kill it. Instead, Takuma and Senri had shown up, with the blonde putting the vampire out if its misery with one fluid slash of his katana.

He had only known something had happened to Yoko when both Takuma and Senri had suddenly stilled, having detected the scent of a familiar blood in the vicinity. The two of them had followed the scent of Yoko’s blood to the hospital. Before they hurried off, Takuma had informed him that Yoko was hurt, and to hurry to the hospital. After rapidly returning the baby to his mother, Ichiru had rushed off to the hospital.

Similarly, Zero had tracked down and hunted the level E, returning the kidnapped girl safely to her mother, before bumping into Kain and Aidou who had just finished off another level E nearby.

Kaname shifted his gaze to the nervous girl by his side and came to a decision.

“I need to go report this incident, so Zero and Ichiru-san, both of you please stay here with Yoko until headmaster Cross comes. Aidou and Kain, the two of you stay here as well and keep watch over Yoko.”

“Yes, Kaname-sama, please leave this to me,” Aidou assured, his voice brimming with confidence and eagerness to serve.

Kain likewise accepted Kaname’s order, though with less flare than his cousin.

“Kuran, we will look after her without you ordering us to, and both me and Ichiru are sufficient to keep watch,” Zero growled while looking at the wounded girl.

“I really wonder about you and your brother’s reliability after what just happened,” Kaname retorted drily as he rose, beckoning at Yuki to follow him.

She nodded, stood up and started walking after Kaname. Two steps later, she abruptly turned back, having remembered something. The hunter twins kept their eyes trained on her as she walked over to the bedside table, took the compact Arttemis rod out of her pocket and placed it on the table. She had picked it up before following Kaname to the hospital, having noticed that her sister had dropped her weapon. She gave them a curt but polite nod before exiting, leaving her sister in the care of those four.

Yoko would be alright now, but meanwhile she had to deal with Kaname. She was not sure how their conversation would go and felt more than a little apprehension…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The siblings finally meet face to face. And to give some clarification on the timeline, this chapter takes place roughly 7-8 months after the previous chapter. Both sisters are 16 years old now, since according to wiki Yuki’s birthday is March 9. So, Yuki has been spying on her sister with her familiar for a bit over a year now lol.


	13. Shrouded Memory

The slim, silvery, crescent moon was now high in the dark sky, with midnight approaching fast.

Yuki followed Kaname back to his dorm at Cross Academy, stealing furtive glances at her surroundings. Although she had been watching her twin sister for a bit over a year, she had never spied on the Moon Dorm with her familiar. She had kept her area of surveillance contained to wherever Yoko frequented the most, and had kept away from the Moon Dorm because that was where Kaname onii-sama was, and he had already caught sight of her familiar once.

As it was the weekend, there was no class, and plenty of Night Class students had been lolling around the large foyer and other shared places. When Kaname walked through the front doors trailed by Yuki, with Takuma and Senri after her, the other students present had been somewhat startled. Many eyes widened and there were a few hushed gasps.

Their dorm president’s coat was stained with specks of blood and he was followed by an unfamiliar person, who also had the same blood staining her clothes. They could sense she was a pureblood, and many students started whispering and speculating, with a few braver ones approaching Takuma the vice president to inquire what had happened.

The normally jovial blond had been uncharacteristically somber and simply responded by telling them to not worry and to continue on with what they had been doing prior. As Takuma dispersed the curious students congregating below, Kaname led Yuki to his private quarters, located on the topmost floor.

Yuki’s clone now sat fidgeting on a luxurious red sofa, glancing around the room. Kaname had excused himself for a few minutes to go change. She took the opportunity to scan the room. To her right was a large, dark-wood office desk with piles of paperwork and a lamp with a stained-glass lampshade – it seemed her brother was a very busy person.

There was a large bookcase standing against the wall in the corner near the desk, and it was filled with heavy and difficult-looking books. On the low coffee-table in front of the sofa was a chess board, with chess pieces still arranged on the black and white squares, as though he had given up in the middle of a game.

What struck Yuki the most was how unfurnished and spartan the place was otherwise. The large room seemed uninhabited because it lacked a personal touch. There were no photos nor paintings adorning any of the walls nor placed on his desk and bookcase. Back home, her mother had liked having paintings embellish the walls, with a preference for landscapes depicting tall mountains, flowing rivers, and forests. Even Shizuku’s office in his mansion had its share of elaborate tapestries and tasteful paintings.

Perhaps her brother had a photo of their deceased parents hidden somewhere? A tiny part of her desperately wished to see their faces for herself, the two that had brought her into this world.

The only decoration in her brother’s room was a houseplant placed in a corner near the windows. The plant was neither dying nor flourishing, it was merely alive and hanging on mediocrely. It lacked the vitality and healthy glow the plants back at her home possessed. Her mother loved her plants and tended to them like they were her children. On several occasions Yuki had caught her mother whispering to the bonsai trees as she watered them. Although Yuki did not know much about her brother, she highly doubted he talked to his plants (though if she were honest, her mother was rather eccentric).

* * *

As Yuki ruminated on the bleak state of her brother’s living quarters, Kaname reemerged from his bedroom, now wearing a black button-down shirt and a pair of black pants. Yuki straightened her back and forced her hands to stay still on her lap at the sight of her brother.

Although the sofa was more than large enough for the two of them, he strolled over to the desk instead and leaned against it, silently observing her with his arms crossed. Yuki wanted to return his stare but found him too intimidating, so she settled for looking at the collar of his shirt instead.

For as long as Yuki could remember, her mother had told her it was important to always be calm and composed, for they were purebloods and any sign of vulnerability would be exploited by others. Yuki doubted she had to be wary of her brother, but she wanted to show him she was a proper pureblood too, thus she tried her best to look calm and waited for him to speak.

Kaname’s eyes roved over the petite girl, taking in the sight of her light brown hair and those large brown eyes. Although this girl lacked the bold and confident aura, her physical resemblance to Juri was too strong for it to be a mere coincidence.

“Who are you?” he asked simply and directly, although he already had a good hunch of her identity.

At his question, Yuki swallowed and finally looked him in the eyes. “My name is Yuki Kuran, I am your younger sister and also Yoko’s twin.”

Her confirmation sent waves of emotion crashing against Kaname’s mind.

Relieve was the major feeling, followed by happiness, confusion and a bit of wariness.

He was relieved, feeling as though he had been absolved of a heavy sin. Juri’ s beloved daughter who he thought was lost forever was here right before him. He wanted to touch her and make sure she was not an illusion, that this was not a happy lie his mind was telling him. However, he held back, both because he didn’t want to scare her, and also because he was wary. Years of experience had taught him to be wary of good news…

The last time he had seen her, she was a mere baby that had been left to the hands of Rido. He had always assumed Rido had devoured her right there in her crib, but here she was alive and well. The cynical part of Kaname could not help but wonder if the man had spared her for the sake using her as a pawn in some twisted game against him.

Yuki had an honest demeanor but looks could be deceiving…he would need to observe her for longer to determine if she was a threat or not. However, even if she were lying and meant to harm him, Kaname would not be able to kill Juri’s child – she and Yoko were his Achille’s heel, something Rido was aware of.

Since her brother did not say anything to her revelation but continued looking at her as though expecting her to go on, Yuki started recounting her life story.

“The night that Rido oji-sama attacked the Kuran manor, he took me back to his own mansion. He had planned to wait and devour me when I got older, but fortunately his wife ran away with me before he could carry out his idea. His wife raised me like I was her own child, taking on the role of my mother and kept me safe all this time.”

Kaname listened in silence, but his mind was in an agitated state. All this time Yuki had been alive and safe under the wing of Shizuka. He was thankful to the woman, and briefly wondered why she would go against her husband. It would come as no surprise to Kaname if Shizuka hated Rido; that man had a knack for causing misery even to those who were supposed to be closest to him.

Kaname had never met the woman before since Juri and Haruka had cut Rido’s existence out of their lives due to the first tragedy. However, he had heard rumors of Shizuka’s “mental instability” and how she had been locked up since birth. Clearly, she was quite different than what the hearsay indicated.

“Initially we moved around a lot, but eventually settled down near a small town where we lived peacefully for a few years. Unfortunately, Rido oji-sama found us there 3 years ago. My mother fought him off, managing to have him retreat with the help of Shizuku. Ever since then we moved to a cabin deep in the mountains, hiding with the help of my mother’s distant relatives.”

When Yuki paused to take a breath, Kaname queried, “Who is this Shizuku you speak of?”

“Ah,” Yuki gasped, realizing she had rambled on without making sure that her audience had understood her references. “Shizuku is my friend, and he is the leader of the Toma clan.”

Kaname arched an eyebrow but held his tongue. It surprised him that Yuki knew another pureblood and the leader of the Toma clan at that. He had met the Toma boy once or twice at some soirees and recalled him to be a rather insolent and immature rascal.

If he were to be fair, quite a few pureblood males were like that when they were young. Similar to how human males tend to be more immature than human females, young male purebloods are also more immature than their female counterparts. In fact, young male purebloods are much worse than human males, for they are extra emboldened given their immortality, power, and pampered upbringing as little princes.

With some amusement Kaname can still recall the difficulty some of his friends had had raising their children back in the day. He and his wife had gotten lucky with their son. He lowered his eyes briefly at the memory of his deceased family and friends before shoving those memories far away and returning his attention to Yuki’s monologue.

“A little over a year ago, I started observing Yoko with my familiar, having finally found out that you two were at Cross Academy. Mother had always told me that I had 2 siblings who I would one day reunite with. I wanted to meet you and Yoko face to face the whole time but did not know when or how to approach you two... especially considering the situation with Yoko.”

A seemingly trivial but crucial point that caught his attention was that she knew she had ‘2 siblings’…it seemed Yuki was not aware of his real identity.

After her disclosures came to an end, Kaname dropped his arms and walked over to the sofa. He sat down next to Yuki, leaving some distance between them. She looked at him nervously, trying to decipher his thoughts with no luck. His face was completely unreadable like how her mother could be sometimes. That only made her more anxious, and she waited with her breath held for his response. She almost jumped out of her skin when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m glad you are alive Yuki.” Kaname’s voice was gentle and he finally cracked a smile.

Yuki saw complex emotions swirling behind his reddish-brown eyes but sensed his sincerity and was reassured of their familial bond. She also blushed a little for he was very handsome, and his gentle smile only illuminated his good looks. This was the first time she had been so physically close to a man, almost everyone she knew was female with the exceptions of Maria’s father and Shizuku.

 _And although Shizuku is older than me, he is clearly no man! He is still a stuck-up kid both mentally and physically_ , Yuki thought. She was a bit annoyed at him because it had been months and he still had not replied to her last letter.

The smiling Kaname onii-sama was very different than the one who had looked coldly at her butterfly a year ago. His smile reminded her of the rare occasions her mother smiled with no reservations, usually at something Yuki had done that amused her. Those smiles were always fleeting though, disappearing as fast as snowflakes melting away. When her mother smiled like that, Yuki felt as though she were glimpsing her mother as a young girl, before she married Rido oji-sama.

She smiled back at Kaname, feeling glad that she was finally acknowledged as his younger sister. Now it would not be so awkward between them…

Seeing Yuki finally relax and drop her guard around him, Kaname finally broached the topic he wanted to make clear even if she might be displeased.

“Yuki…you are aware that Yoko is living as a human now. Even if the two of us reunite, we cannot insert ourselves into her life more than we already have. You can’t let her know you are her older twin sister and you must maintain some distance from her.”

Yuki’s expression faltered momentarily, and the joy she had felt at being acknowledged by Kaname as family was slightly dampened. She had known already that she could not reunite with Yoko so easily since her sister was now a human, living in a separate world from them. That was part of the reason she had hesitated to approach Kaname and reveal herself.

She nodded and murmured softly, “Yes, I know that. I won’t do anything that would upset the life she has now.”

Kaname removed his hand from Yuki’s shoulder, satisfied at her answer.

For now, he had heard what he was curious about from her and he needed to talk to Shizuka next. He had to confirm if Shizuka was on his side or if she had plans of her own that would make her an enemy, even if she was the one that raised Yuki. The long life Kaname had lived and all the years he had served as the first king of the vampires had instilled a deep suspicion of others in him. He needed to ascertain where Shizuka stood and to do so he had to meet her in person.

“Yuki, I want to meet Shizuka-san.”

Yuki stared at him startled. She realized she should have predicted this but felt a little tentative about his request. Although they were siblings and he had accepted her, they did not know each other much given all the years they have been separated. Logically she knew Kaname onii-sama would not hurt her and her mother, but a tiny part of her was reluctant to let him meet her mother, who still had not fully recovered after the incident with Rido oji-sama 3 years ago.

Yuki did not like this wariness, it seemed ungrateful and overly paranoid. There was no reason for her to hesitate, they were family after all. It was out of character for her to be so distrustful, but a tiny part of her could not help but remember how Rido oji-sama had been her biological parents’ older brother and he had still betrayed them in the end. In her biological family’s case, blood was not always thicker than water…

Kaname onii-sama looked at her with a gentle and reassuring smile, waiting patiently for her response. She reasoned with herself…even on the off chance that Kaname onii-sama had ulterior motives, her mother was still much older than Kaname onii-sama, and thus stronger, even if she was slightly weaker than her past self.

Having come to a decision, her eyes met his, and she nodded.

* * *

When Yoko opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. She turned her head to the side and saw her father asleep on a chair he had pulled up to her bed. Looking around her, seeing the furniture and medical instruments, she realized she was in a private hospital room. A vase filled with a lovely bouquet of daisies, lilies and lavender flowers was on the bedside table. A calm pastoral landscape painting graced the wall that her bed faced. 

Judging by the light streaming through the half-drawn blinds of the windows, it was daytime. She wondered how long she had been unconscious. More importantly, she wondered how she had ended up here. She recalled going to town with Zero and Ichiru to buy groceries, standing outside the pharmacy and looking at the autumnal foliage, and going to the farmer’s market but not much more.

For a second, a startling image flashed though her mind.

In the image was a stranger, his eyes glowing red and his face contorted maniacally as he bit at the Artemis rod and clawed at her. She tried to pursue the strange memory, but felt her mind slowing down, as though a heavy fog and mist had settled over it, impeding her thoughts. Perhaps she had hit her head and was suffering some aftereffect? She placed her hand on the back of her head, feeling for a sore spot but failed to find any.

She examined herself for injuries, looking for any clue that might tell her why she had ended up at the hospital. Her left arm was bandaged and as she lifted it, she felt a dull ache. Based on the sensation of tightness around her upper right leg it seemed that her leg was also bandaged. It did not feel as though her bones were broken in those places though…

Her slight movements awakened the headmaster, who blinked and rubbed his eyes before turning his attention to her.

“Ah, Yoko, you’re finally awake! How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?” he asked, the questions gushing forth as his forehead creased with concern.

“No, I feel a little tired but fine otherwise…” she paused a bit. “How long have I been out?”

“You’ve been unconscious for almost half a day now. Zero and Ichiru were here earlier but I sent them back to the academy so that they can rest and resume their prefect duties.”

“Otou-san, what happened to me? I don’t remember getting hurt and ending up at the hospital at all,” she asked uncertainly.

Her father narrowed his eyes for a second before smiling reassuringly. “You were injured in an accident and Kaname who happened to be nearby found you and took you to the hospital.”

“…What sort of accident?”

“It was a car accident,” Kaname-senpai’s familiar voice answered.

Yoko glanced over to the door, where Kaname-senpai was now standing. He was in a black trench coat and holding an assorted fruit basket in one hand.

“Oh, you’re here to visit during the daytime? I thought you would come at night instead Kaname-kun,” the headmaster spoke jovially. “Do sit down though, I will take the basket and prepare some fruit while you and Yoko talk. In fact, it would be best for you to explain to her what happened…since you were the one who found her.”

The headmaster gave the brunet a quick but meaningful look before departing with the gift basket.

Kaname walked over, taking off his coat and placing it on the back of the chair the headmaster had just vacated. He leaned over, arranged her pillows and helped her prop herself up on the bed before finally sitting down himself.

“I was in town running some errands and I smelled your blood. When I got to where you were, you were already unconscious and losing a lot of blood. It seemed that while you and the twins separated to buy groceries, you got hit by a car. I rushed you to the hospital immediately where the doctors managed to save you. During the accident your head was injured so you might have forgotten the actual memory of being hit by the car, but that is alright. What matters is that you are fine now,” he explained with a small smile.

“A car accident huh?” she bit her lip before continuing hesitantly. “What happened to the driver?”

“The driver sped off; the police are working on the case. You should focus on recovering instead.”

“I feel like I am forgetting something important though.”

“It must be your anxiety, do not worry about it too much Yoko. You feel fine now, don’t you?”

She looked into his eyes; his thoughts were unfathomable behind his dark brown irises. Sometimes she felt he possessed the gaze of someone who had lived many centuries instead of the gaze of a young man. She always found it difficult to read him. Unlike Zero and Ichiru who were reliably predictable, Kaname-senpai was always a mystery. She could never tell when he was lying or speaking the truth.

He spoke calmly and assuredly, but a part of her doubted his words. Something simply did not feel right, though she could not say exactly what it was that felt off. She had no evidence to support her doubt. And even if she did…she did not want to argue with him. Kaname-senpai had always treated her well, so even if he was lying, he probably had his reasons.

“…Yes, I am a bit disoriented but alright overall,” she finally replied still holding his gaze.

He smiled. “That is good to hear. On a side note, before coming in, I talked to the doctors and they say you can be discharged 2 days later. They need to monitor your wounds to ensure they do not get infected. You can use this time to rest, take a break from your prefect duties.”

“I suppose some rest would be good. It would be tough for Zero and Ichiru to handle those Day Class girls on their own though.”

“They will manage,” he replied tersely, his smile hardening for a second.

At that moment, the door opened, and the headmaster returned, carrying a platter of cut apples and pears. The three of them spent the rest of the visit making pleasant conversation, with Kaname mentioning the current happenings among the Night Class, such as how Aidou had recently submitted a research paper to a prestigious scientific journal, and how another one of the aristocratic vampires had been cast as the main male lead in an upcoming drama. The headmaster responded with enthusiasm at the good news and started rambling about some noteworthy achievements of the Day Class.

Kaname listened patiently, indulging the headmaster while Yoko started to zone out, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. Before she closed her eyes, she thought she saw a butterfly on the ledge of the window. She then drifted off, dreaming an odd but not unpleasant dream about butterflies flitting to and fro amidst a convoluted labyrinth of books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for kudos and views. Unfortunately, real life has gotten busier so I will not be able to update as frequently from now on. I have the majority of the first arc written but certain chapters are giving me some trouble. Rest assured I’ll definitely finish the series though.


	14. Guardianship

The natural silence of the mountain wilderness was disturbed as a black car pulled into the circular driveway and stopped in front of the cottage. The chauffeur emerged and opened the passenger door. Kaname stepped out and scanned the surroundings, taking in the fresh mountain air and thick woods, noting how the residence blended in well with its surroundings. He had always enjoyed quiet places like this.

A pleasant-looking vampire woman dressed in a maid’s uniform bowed and welcomed him as he strode up the stairs. Beside her stood Yuki, clad in a refined, navy-blue dress with her long hair tied into a French braid and adorned with a matching blue ribbon.

“Kaname onii-sama,” she greeted him with a small smile, more restrained than her usual self.

Yuki still could not help but feel a bit apprehensive about letting him talk alone with her mother. During the past three days since they first met, she had been feeling slightly regretful about consenting to his visit. She had not expected to reunite with her brother so fast, and everything felt rushed and out of control. On the other hand, her mother had reacted with her usual blasé attitude, seemingly unconcerned.

“Yuki,” he smiled gently at her, sensing her slight hesitancy.

The maid, who he learned was called Aoi took his coat and led him through the narrow foyer to the living room with a vaulted ceiling. A small fire was crackling away in the fireplace, warming the interior. There were plenty of windows, affording a good view of the scenery outside. One of the windows was open, providing some airflow and ensuring the cottage interior was not too stuffy. Vampires preferred cooler temperatures after all.

An elegant woman wearing a lavender purple _houmongi_ lounged on the sofa, observing the night sky with an inscrutable expression. At his entrance, she turned her head to face him.

“Kaname-san, it is a pleasure to receive you here at our humble abode.” A wry smile graced her lips as she acknowledged him and gestured him to sit across from her.

“It is my pleasure to be here, thank you for having me,” Kaname replied, continuing the idle small talk as he settled in.

Aoi came back with tea and pastries and poured him a cup of black tea which he accepted. She then retreated upstairs, tending to some unfinished household task. Yuki was still loitering around, as though expecting to be present throughout their conversation.

Shizuka turned to her daughter.

“Yuki, you should head over to Maria’s house now.” Her voice was gentle but firm.

Yuki gave Kaname one last conflicted look before retrieving her coat and heading off to Maria’s home. Although she wanted to stay close, it seemed her mother and her brother had something to discuss that they did not want her to eavesdrop on.

* * *

“Shizuka-san, I need to thank you for having rescued Yuki from Rido and raising her all these years,” Kaname announced and examined her expression, which remained unperturbed, the thoughts behind her pink eyes a mystery.

Dealing with other purebloods was a hassle because they had all been raised to keep their thoughts and emotions under deep control. It seemed Shizuka who was kept in a fancy cage all her life and who had never attended any social events was no exception.

“There is no need to thank me,” she replied laconically with no emotion.

“Despite my sincere gratitude…I cannot help but wonder why you risked standing against your husband for the sake of Haruka and Juri’s child, who is not linked to you by blood. Perhaps your kind-hearted nature compelled you to do so? Or was there some other reason?”

He looked at her sharply, his eyes locked with hers in an unspoken challenge.

Shizuka smiled sardonically – for someone to call her ‘kind-hearted’ even if it was insincere was laughable.

They both knew that there are very purebloods who would act simply out of the kindness of their hearts. By upbringing they were supposed to be calculating, always planning their moves and actions as though perpetually engaged in a game of chess with some unseen opponent.

“I have no need to tell you why I did what I did, but you should know that among our kind, marriages are mostly arranged for political reasons. Just because I am Rido’s wife does not mean I am allegiant to him.” Narrowing her eyes, she continued, “Kaname-san, you should know exactly what kind of person Rido is. After all, he is the one that sacrificed Haruka and Juri’s firstborn to revive you.”

At her indirect disclosure of her knowledge of his real identity, Kaname froze for a few seconds. He had wondered if she was aware of him being the Kuran ancestor, given her relationship with Rido, but had not expected her to bring it up without his prodding, and so early in their conversation too.

He put the teacup down on the coffee table and leaned into his seat, crossing his legs. There was no longer any need to keep up the pretense of being the young son of Haruka and Juri.

“So, you know my real identity, Shizuka. It seems Rido was quite open with you about his plans and doings.” His voice had taken on an icy tinge and the atmosphere turned tense.

Her expression remained as impassive as before, despite the heavy mood.

“Perhaps it is because you were never married to a madman yourself, Kaname-san, and are thus unaware, but the insane are often more honest than those who are sane. They find it unnecessary to keep their darker thoughts to themselves.” Her tone was now as cold as Kaname’s.

She glared back at him with those light pink eyes of hers, completely undaunted by the knowledge that he was the Kuran ancestor, one who hailed from the almost legendary era of seemingly endless wars between purebloods. 

The fearlessness reflected in those pink eyes reminded him of someone from his distant past. That person had never faltered in a battle despite the odds, his blade had cut down enemies with grace and precision, his eyes calm the whole time. It always gave Kaname an oddly nostalgic feeling seeing striking traits he had known from those in the past pop up amongst their descendants.

“Regarding your implication, I was only aware that he harbored a deep resentment towards Haruka and Juri, but I was not aware he was going to do what he did to their firstborn,” Shizuka broke off briefly, taking a few seconds to remove the frosty edge from her words. “I only found out when he returned home, released by the very Council that was supposed to have kept him imprisoned. Although the insane can be very honest, they are also very unpredictable.”

Kaname stared hard at her for a few more seconds, before finally accepting her admission. She did not seem to be lying, and even if she had known, Kaname knew she would not have been able to stop him.

Among their kind, in arranged marriages, the male was invariably much older than the female, resulting in a very skewed power dynamic. The same power dynamic that had partly contributed to her having been isolated and locked up since birth. Kaname did not know the details of their relationship but did not doubt that her animosity towards her husband was genuine. A man that would kill his own parents and brother probably did not treat his wife well. 

Furthermore, Yuki’s love for her mother had been evident in the way she had looked at him with wariness before leaving. The girl had been worried about her adoptive mother, to the point where she doubted him, her “brother” to whom she was related to by blood. From that one meeting he had had with the girl, she appeared to be a straightforward and candid person with a relatively mild personality, much like Haruka. For her to have kept her gentle disposition and to be so concerned for her adoptive mother, she must have been raised lovingly. Kaname could be assured that whatever Shizuka’s reasons were for having saved Yuki, she did care for Yuki.

They sat in silence for a while, each sipping their tea and lost in their own thoughts. By the time he glanced back at her, she was gazing out the window at the moon – it was a half-moon tonight.

“Yuki told me that Rido found and attacked you two just three years ago,” Kaname finally broke the lull, moving the conversation on to the next topic.

“Yes, the boy from the Toma family assisted us towards the end.”

“Based on the information my sources have gathered, that man has started acting up again recently, even though he has kept himself hidden. He will probably come for either Yuki or her twin soon…”

She did not reply to his ominous prediction, but merely kept her gaze trained on the bright moon in the dark skies. It would be Jugoya soon, but she knew that Yuki would not be viewing the moon with her and Aoi this year…

“Cross Academy was founded by Juri, Haruka, and their friend Kaien Cross, who used to be a hunter, formidable enough to have gained the alias ‘The Fangless Vampire’. Although he has long since put down his sword, vampires with bad intentions would think twice before encroaching on the academy grounds. At the academy, I also have many loyal supporters that would help me protect those I hold dear.”

“Yuki will join you at the academy, returning to her identity as the Kuran princess,” Shizuka quietly interrupted him.

She had known this would come up in their conversation and spared him the need to further persuade her.

Kaname smiled congenially. “That is a wise decision, Shizuka. You lack the strength to kill Rido on your own and won’t be able to protect her when he returns. Furthermore, Yuki cannot live a normal life with you and would always have to be on the run as the Council chases after you. I am glad you have decided to return Yuki to her rightful family, that is where her best interests lay.”

He knew he might appear harsh as though stealing a daughter from her mother. However, everything he said was the bleak truth. No matter how much Shizuka cared for Yuki, the girl was not her own – there was no blood connection between them. Shizuka was just an outsider that had married into his family, and her husband was Rido no less, the one who had caused Yuki and Yoko to become orphans in the first place.

Kaname glanced at her, slightly curious if she betrayed any anger at his words, but her face was still turned away.

It was not important though. No matter how Shizuka felt, he would take Yuki back, even if Yuki would hate him for it. None of them can defy the much older and much more powerful him. He had a promise to keep – ensuring Yuki’s safety at all costs, even if one of the costs included her resenting him. Besides, it’s not like he would never let Yuki see her mother again, she was just not going to be under her guardianship anymore.

Kaname uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to pour himself some more tea before moving on to the next topic.

“I too cannot kill Rido, since he is the ‘master’ that awoke me from my slumber. Fortunately, I have discovered a pair of hunter twins that would be of assistance to us in our shared goal.”

Shizuka finally shifted her gaze from the moon back to him, her eyes narrowing. “Hunter twins?”

“Yes, from an old hunter lineage, the Kiryus. Both twins miraculously born alive, with the elder twin holding much potential. They are currently also attending Cross Academy, as fate would have it. The older twin cares deeply for his ailing younger twin, and I have no doubt he will eventually be desperate enough to accept the deal I proposed for the sake of his brother.”

“Even if he possesses the potential to become the strongest hunter of this era, he is still a human. He will not be able to kill that man.”

“That is why I will give him my blood, the oldest and most potent blood left on earth. All the hunter has to do is intervene at the final moment, firing the last shot and ending Rido after I already weakened him,” Kaname explained.

She didn’t comment on his plan and he took a moment to imbibe more tea. The tea possessed a hint of orchid fragrance, it was probably a premium Keemun.

“You have served the role of adoptive mother for Yuki all these years, for which I am grateful. In turn, I will take care of the problem of Rido. With his death, you will finally be freed and able to do as you wish,” he declared assuredly.

He observed the woman sitting across from him. There was no flicker of excitement or satisfaction in her eyes, despite what he had just told her.

Just as he was about to move on to discussing the plan behind introducing Yuki as his younger sister and princess of the Kuran family to the Night Class and the rest of vampire society, she spoke up.

“Kaname, let me take your place when the time comes. I will end that man’s life with the aid of the hunter.” Her voice was quiet, but her resolve was clear.

Kaname studied her, considering the possible advantages behind accepting her request. Shizuka was strong enough to weaken Rido, even if she could not kill him. After all, she managed to hold him back by herself three years ago and survive. If she took his place, Kaname could use that situation as his opportunity to strike back at the corrupt Council that backed Rido. In order for Yoko and Yuki to be truly safe, Asato Ichijou and the crowd of nobles he led were obstacles he would have to remove.

“You are aware of the risks of what you propose, Shizuka? Even if you are his wife, he will not hold back if you get in his way again.”

Shizuka gave him a saturnine smile, one suggesting she was all too aware of what he had just mentioned. “As his wife, I am responsible for cleaning up the mess he created. This will also be my final duty as Yuki’s adoptive parent, one I will accomplish so she can fully return to her real family.”

For the first time all night, Kaname saw her drop her unfathomable mask. A forlorn gleam in her eyes conveyed her unspoken message, one that he was all too familiar with himself. She had accepted the consequences and made her decision. Just as he had to confront the Council, she would confront Rido and bring the tragic play of her generation to a close.

For a moment, Kaname pitied the woman and wondered what type of life she had lived being the one shouldering the role of Rido’s wife. For her to request taking his place and choose this conclusion even though he had offered her another path…it seemed her heart had reached its limits.

“…Very well, I will keep you updated about Rido’s movements.”

She nodded. “One last thing, I have not disclosed your real identity to Yuki, so Kaname…you can tell her yourself at the right moment.”

“Thank you for your discretion, Shizuka…and rest assured, I will look after Yuki well in your place,” he spoke sincerely.

She smiled sadly before turning back to look at the sky, bringing their conversation to an end. He likewise turned to admire the night sky, the vast darkness interspersed with the luminescence of the moon and the stars. The two sat observing the skies in companionable silence, as he had done a long time ago with someone else who also possessed eyes the color of cherry blossoms and hair as white as snow.

* * *

Yuki moved the luggage case to the side and sighed in relief. After much procrastination and indecision, she had finally finished packing for her departure to Cross Academy tomorrow. The clothes and personal effects she had decided on bringing were all snuggly placed inside the three luggage cases.

At the thought of attending the same academy as Yoko, happiness and excitement welled in her. Her anticipation for school life was further enhanced by the fact that Maria would be accompanying her, and the knowledge that she would meet more people and potentially make more friends. The fact that she would no longer have to endure painful _koto_ lessons also added to her delight.

Ever since her mother and brother had met a week ago and announced that Yuki would be joining him at school, she had been too excited to sit still. Her mother had asked the Kurenais to let Maria attend the academy alongside her, to have a familiar presence around.

On her part, Maria had pushed her parents to consent. She was no longer constantly sick like she was in the past and wanted to experience a normal life and meet other vampires her age. Besides, she wanted to keep an eye on Yuki-sama, who was prone to getting in trouble and acting in ways unbefitting of a pureblood.

“Yuki-sama, Shizuka-sama is waiting for you in her bedroom,” Aoi announced, standing at the door to her room.

“Okay, I will head over now!”

Yuki left her room and walked a short distance down the hall to the master bedroom. The door was closed, and she knocked softly.

“Come in.” Her mother’s voice drifted from within.

Yuki opened the door and entered. Her mother was sitting in front of the vanity, dressed in her night gown, and combing her long hair before heading to bed. Yuki bounded over and scooted onto the bench, cuddling next to the older woman. Although she was happy to be attending Cross Academy and experience school life, she was reluctant to leave her mother and Aoi.

“Okaa-sama, why don’t I ask Kaname onii-sama to find a place for you and Aoi closer to the academy so I can visit you often? There should be a house in the nearby town you can move into.”

Shizuka stopped combing her hair and put the lacquered comb down on the vanity table.

“Yuki, I like being in the mountains. It is quiet and peaceful here, and I have Maria’s parents to keep me company.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind Yuki’s ear before continuing. “You don’t have to worry about me and Aoi and should focus on your studies instead.”

Yuki pouted and hugged her. “I will miss you two though.”

Shizuka smiled pensively before reaching a hand out to grab a small box from one corner of the vanity.

“I have a gift for you before you go.”

Yuki lifted her head to examine the box her mother placed in front of her. It was a black, lacquered box with gold leafing and motifs of cranes and pine trees, clearly made by a talented artisan with an eye for detail. She let go of her mother to open the unfamiliar box and found a matching comb and hairpin.

The hair accessories were both made of bright-red lacquered wood and crafted in the traditional style. The comb was in the shape of a half moon and possessed a simple design, with only two round crests detailed in gold at the center above the teeth. The crests looked vaguely familiar, but Yuki could not quite place where she had seen them before and moved on to the _hirauchi kanzashi_. The flat circle of the hairpin had cherry blossoms painted on one side, and orchids on the other. Like the box, both the comb and hairpin appeared to be very valuable and made by expert craftsmen.

“These are beautiful, thank you,” Yuki smiled widely but soon her curiosity crept up and prompted her to ask, “Where did these come from though? I didn’t think Aoi would allow you to buy something like this with our current budget…”

Shizuka laughed lightly at the girl’s accurate assessment of Aoi’s fiscal chariness.

“No, she would not. This would probably cost more than half a year’s budget at the very least.”

At the conservative estimate of her gift’s cost, Yuki gasped and looked shocked.

“Okaa-sama…you didn’t rob a bank or something did you?” she asked half-jokingly.

Yuki knew her mother was used to luxury, which she had to give up when they fled from Uncle Rido. Yuki herself was used to a more modest lifestyle though, having grown up under the circumstances she did. When she had stayed at Shizuku’s manor while her mother was recuperating, she had been shocked by the opulence and had felt like a pauper next to that wealthy young master.

“Hmm, that idea is tempting, but I prefer to be called the ‘madly blooming princess’ over the ‘robber princess’, the first title has a nicer ring,” Shizuka teased and pinched her frowning daughter’s cheek.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t break any laws. This comb and hairpin were part of my wedding trousseau when I married that man,” Shizuka explained, her tone less mirthful as she picked up the comb and stared at it with a somewhat distant look, thinking of the faraway past. “This crest on the right is the Hiou family crest and the one on the left is the Kuran crest. Similarly, the orchids on the hairpin represent his family and the cherry blossoms represent mine. These items were designed to commemorate the alliance of the two clans through our marriage.”

Yuki looked with some worry at her mother, she knew her mother didn’t like talking about her marriage. Once when she was very young, she had asked Aoi about her mother’s past. Aoi had just shaken her head and told her somethings were better left forgotten to be buried by the sands of time.

“My cousin, the head of the Hiou family, didn’t hold back on expenses when marrying me off. Even though we were not close at all, he made sure to send me away with all the splendor as befits a daughter from his family, not wanting to lose face and be outdone by the Kurans.”

A sarcastic smile adorned Shizuka’s lips as she recalled the memory of her cousin and her in-laws at her wedding banquet. They had been visibly more jubilant than her and Rido, her cousin having gotten rid of her and her in-laws having gotten rid of their troublesome son. She stopped her reminiscing when she felt Yuki lean her head against her shoulder and cling to her arm.

“Okaa-sama…if this comb and hairpin reminds you of something you’d rather forget, you should just leave them in the closet and never look at them again.”

“There is no need to be so concerned Yuki, my past is not as tragic as you believe. What happened between me and that man is a common story, especially in arranged marriages.”

Shizuka carefully placed the comb and hairpin back in the ornate box and closed the lid.

“I am giving you this because it fits you. You are the Kuran princess, daughter of Haruka and Juri, but also my child – a better union of the two families than me and that man. Besides, it would be a shame if this pretty comb and _kanzashi_ were never used and left to gather dust instead.”

Shizuka stroked Yuki’s hair gently. “Anyway, Yuki, all children inevitably leave their parents, whether it be for school or marriage.”

“No, I will always return to you. Even if I get married in the future, I will have you live with me,” Yuki asserted stubbornly.

Shizuka smiled sadly. “Yuki is a good child. But now is the time for you to go to bed, you and Maria will leave for the academy early tomorrow.”

She picked up the small box and placed it in her daughter’s hands.

Yuki gave a quick peck to her mother’s cheek and headed back to her own room.

Shizuka remained in front of the vanity for a few more minutes, staring blankly at her reflection and pondering the reality of her daughter finally leaving. She had been dragging her feet this past year, trying to put off the inevitable until the last minute. She had known that once Kaname found out Yuki was still alive he would want the girl returned to his side.

And now the time had come to let go.

She opened the vanity drawer and retrieved a small, folded blanket. Silently she traced the embroidered wisteria blossoms on the lavender silk. She would eventually get used to Yuki’s absence. After all, she was no stranger to loss…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Houmongi means “visiting wear” and is a type of semi-formal kimono for social events. Jugoya (aka Tsukimi) falls on the 15th of the 8th month according to the lunar calendar and has roots in celebration of the year’s harvest. Traditionally on that day, the Japanese set out offerings of dango and pampas grass and admired the full moon while sipping sake.


	15. Cross Academy

Inside the warm bathroom, Yoko stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror, examining the sharp and narrow scars on her upper right leg and her left arm. The doctors had told her the scars would heal quicker if she rested more and kept them out of the sun. What bothered her the most was not the actual scars themselves, but what they proved. They told her that Kaname-senpai, her father, and the twins were all lying to her.

There was no way that scars like these were caused by a car crash. Pedestrians that suffered vehicular injuries displayed abrasions, not thin and sharp cuts like these.

Her suspicions had been confirmed by the awkward behavior of Zero and Ichiru. While Ichiru was skilled at lying and changing the topic, Zero was horrible at it and adopted the tactic he used whenever he was hiding something from her – avoiding her. Ever since she had been discharged from the hospital, whenever she bought up the topic of the alleged car accident, Zero always found some excuse to leave, walking away from her as fast as he could without running.

She sighed, finished drying herself, and put on her pajamas. Although she wanted to know the truth, she would have to take her time digging it out. For now, all she wanted to do was head to bed. It was late at night, she was tired after doing her prefect patrol and she had two exams tomorrow. She left the bathroom and headed down the hall to her bedroom.

As she unlocked her bedroom door, she heard footsteps ascending the stairs. She turned and saw her father at the other end of the hall walking towards her.

“Yoko, mind if I have a quick chat with you? It will only take a few minutes.”

She nodded and they entered her room where she sat on the edge of her bed while he sat on her desk chair. Yoko wondered if something had happened. Her father was more subdued than usual and had a somewhat anxious edge to his behavior. After he arranged the chair so that it faced her, he cleared his throat before looking her straight in the eyes.

“Yoko, there is something I have to tell you, something that may surprise you.”

She nodded at him to continue.

He wrung his hands a little, before announcing, “There will be two new students joining the Night Class, and one of them is a pureblood vampire – more specifically Kaname’s younger sister.”

Yoko’s eyes widened, briefly betraying her shock, but she held her tongue and waited for her father to finish before she asked questions. Kaname-sama had told her he had no more family left when she had asked a long time ago. There was no need for him to lie to her, and the sadness she had detected in his eyes had seemed genuine.

The headmaster rushed to explain. “Certain things happened in Kaname’s family when he was young which caused him to get separated from his sister. He only reunited with her recently, and she wishes to join him in the night class with her friend, a level B vampire.”

Kaien observed his daughter’s response as she processed the information. She still seemed a little surprised but appeared to be taking it in stride overall.

“They will be arriving tomorrow, and I would like you to show them around the school grounds.”

Yoko affirmed she would handle the task, stating she was available after her chemistry lab ended tomorrow. Both she and her father had decided that it would be her responsibility to show new or prospective Night Class students the school, since it would be an uncomfortable experience on both sides if it fell on either Zero or Ichiru to lead their vampire guests on a tour. Her father thanked her, bid her goodnight, and left.

As she laid in bed her head swarmed with questions despite her fatigue.

She was quite curious about Kaname’s sister and wondered how similar Kaname and she were. What was their relationship like if they had just reunited, and what had caused them to be split apart in the first place? She wondered if Kaname would tell her if she asked about his family’s past, then pushed that thought out. It was not good to be nosy about other people’s family affairs, even if you had known them all your life.

Clearing her mind, she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next afternoon Yoko finished her classes and went to her father’s office where they waited for the new students to arrive. Zero had gone off to help the stableman groom the horses while Ichiru was off somewhere flirting playfully with their classmates. Yoko and the headmaster discussed allocation of the school budget for the various student clubs as they waited. A few minutes after the clock chimed 3, there was a soft knock on the headmaster’s door. The person knocking seemed hesitant at first, but the following knocks were louder and bolder.

“Please come in,” the headmaster said.

The door to the headmaster’s office opened, and two petite girls stepped in. One of them had long brown hair that she wore loose, and big, earnest brown eyes. This girl was most likely Kaname-sama’s sister, given her coloring. She possessed a cute, girlish charm and radiated a lively warmth. The other girl had straight gray hair, with part of it arranged into a loose side bun. She had gray, doll-like eyes and was equally cute but gave off a fragile air which contrasted with her friend who teemed with vitality. Both of them were already wearing the white Night Class uniforms.

Strangely for a vampire, and a pureblood at that, the brunette did not seem any different from a human. It was peculiar how she lacked the vibes the other Night Class students gave off, even the delicate-looking grey-haired girl seemed more like a vampire than her.

Yoko wondered if it was just her imagination, but the brunette girl seemed to be staring at her with an intense focus, as if expecting something. And although Yoko had never met the girl before, she felt a startling tinge of nostalgia as she looked back at her.

“Yoko, this is Yuki Kuran, Kaname’s younger sister who will be joining the Night Class. The other young lady is her friend, Maria Kurenai.”

Yoko faced them and smiled politely. “I am Yoko Cross, the headmaster’s daughter and one of the prefects in this school. It is nice to meet you both.”

Kaname’s sister continued to stare at her, seemingly too lost in thought to respond before being bought out of her odd trance by Maria who subtly poked her in the side. Yuki looked flustered for a short moment before introducing herself.

“I am Yuki Kuran, pleased to meet you too.”

Yoko noted that she had a chirpy energetic voice, in contrast to Kaname who had a calm and relaxed voice.

The other girl introduced herself. “My name is Maria Kurenai, and I am accompanying Yuki-sama in her studies at Cross Academy. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The headmaster observed the entire proceeding, focusing on Yoko and Yuki. He and Kaname had both been hesitant to let the two girls meet, fearing Yuki would be unable to control herself and accidentally let secrets slip out. Even just now, she had been looking too intensely at Yoko, something his smart daughter would surely notice and find odd. He wondered if it was really a good idea to let the two girls interact, but was assured by the presence of Maria, who would be able to keep Yuki on task. A small part of him also whispered that Juri would have wanted her two daughters reunited, even if one of them was wholly unaware of their relationship.

As the girls prepared to leave for their tour of the school, Kaien couldn’t resist adding a few words.

“Yuki-chan.”

Yuki turned back to face him, wondering what he had to say.

“Please keep in mind what you and Kaname discussed.” Kaien looked at her seriously for a few seconds, and seeing her nod, he smiled, resuming his cheerful demeanor. “Go and enjoy your tour then.”

* * *

Yoko led the two girls away from the headmaster’s office and towards the lecture halls. Although most students were still in class, some students with the period free were strolling around while others huddled in corners conversing with their friends. Many of them cast curious glances at the two newcomers as they passed by. It was not often that they saw a Night Class student moving around campus during the daytime.

Yoko took them to one of the empty lecture halls with its long, oak tables and matching benches. After showing Yuki and Maria where the major lecture halls were located, she led them to the school’s main library, with its neat rows of bookshelves and tables tucked in cozy corners. Only a handful of students were in the library, some of them too busy poring over their books to notice the small tour passing by. The few that looked up waved cheerfully at Yoko who waved back.

Many of them were students attending the private school on scholarship money, so they were more focused on their studies and less focused on sneaking into the Moon Dorm to stalk Night Class students than some of their wealthy peers. Yoko was on good terms with the library crowd since they were the people she spent the most time with outside of the twins and Yori.

Some of them remained on campus during breaks instead of returning home like most students. A few of them opted to stay given the high cost of traveling, whereas others had difficulties at home. Regardless of their reasons, it had become tradition during breaks for the students that stayed to eat dinner with the headmaster and his charges and to celebrate the holidays together.

Lowering her voice amidst the hushed atmosphere, Yoko explained to Yuki and Maria the purposes of the different libraries on campus. Although the Sun Dorm and the Moon Dorm each contained a small library, those housed the more recent books and mainstream magazines. In contrast, the main library housed the collections of scholarly resources and had professional librarians ready to aid any students collecting material for research.

Yoko then led them away from the library and past several spacious hallways, all the while continuing her detailed speech on the history of the academy and the credentials of its teachers and staff. Yuki nodded politely but felt her attention start to drift as Yoko rambled on. She hung on long enough to catch something about the headmaster’s vision of coexistence, how the Night Class was only established 4 years ago, how one of the professors used to work for the national institute of biomedical research and how another professor was a 2 time winner of some prestigious literary award, but zoned out for the rest. Maria had to keep poking Yuki to snap back to attention whenever Yoko turned around and asked if they had any questions.

As they neared the dining hall, there were more large portraits of generous donors to the academy adorning the walls of the hallway. Among them, Yuki recognized several prominent figures of vampire society. She only knew them because she frequently saw them gracing the front pages of the newspapers Aoi read.

Aoi was in the habit of reading both human newspapers and vampire newspapers, the latter which she had to purchase specially from vampire-owned businesses. To prevent the average human from stumbling across the existence of vampires, vampire law required these businesses to verify the customer’s status as a member of their own race before selling the publications to them. Aoi read the human newspapers to follow national and international affairs and the stock market (in which she was surprisingly successful and had accumulated some surplus funds). She read the vampire newspaper to keep up to date on the new laws passed by the Senate and to learn which pureblood lord or lady had recently awakened and other useful tidbits.

Yuki nudged Maria and pointed to a portrait of a dignified lady with graying hair in a chic bob, sharp brown eyes, and a stern smile.

“Look Maria! It’s the owner of Amaterasu Cosmetics!” she whispered excitedly.

She had been using their sunscreen ever since she could remember, and even now had a bottle with its familiar morning glory logo somewhere in her luggage. It was the top-selling brand in the country among their kind (human-owned brands were simply not as efficient at preventing sunburn) and its celebrity ambassador was the lead actress of the hit romance drama she and Maria had just finished last week. 

“Two of Fukuhara-san’s grandchildren are actually in the Night Class. Like the Aidous, they are firmly in the anti-Senate camp. In fact, most of the students here come from families that support Kaname-sama over the current Senate,” Maria whispered back.

At the knowledge that her older brother knew so many wealthy and powerful people, Yuki was once again reminded of how sheltered and free from responsibilities she really was. She could not imagine having to face all those important adults and make weighty decisions. In many ways, being the leader of the Kuran clan was a heavy burden – even now when they were no longer the rulers.

Shizuku also carried a heavy burden as the head of the Toma clan…Yuki wondered if she had not seen him for the past year because he was too busy dealing with important people and managing his territory. _Even so, he should be able to spare a few hours for me_ , she thought with mild annoyance. It was especially irritating because she knew he found the time to send a letter to her mother every month, keeping her updated on information regarding uncle Rido. In contrast, Shizuku’s most recent reply to Yuki’s last letter had arrived a whopping three months late, and in petty retaliation, Yuki had completely stopped writing to him.

* * *

After the hall of portraits, they arrived at the large dining hall with its high ceilings from which hung brass chandeliers and banners decorated with the school logo. Yuki immediately perked up at the aroma of food wafting out of the kitchen. Yoko led them past the many tables, each decorated with small vases of flowers, to the area where food was ordered. A crew of uniformed cooks could be seen hard at work preparing tonight’s dinner behind the glass partitions. Yoko told the girls about the farm-to-table system before moving on to explaining that the school employed two teams of cooks, one specializing in Western cuisine and the other in Japanese cuisine.

Nearby were the buffet tables, where workers were starting to put out today’s dinner offerings. Yuki’s eyes lit up when she saw the dessert section and she wondered if she could take a cupcake or three to keep her company for the rest of the tour. As if reading her friend’s mind, Maria stared at her reprovingly. Yuki had always eaten shockingly much for someone her petite size and had the bad habit of eating while walking. She would not let Yuki be seen in public displaying any breaches in etiquette if she could help it. Yuki felt Maria’s disapproving eyes on her and gave up her cupcake fantasies.

Yoko also noticed Yuki’s enthusiastic reaction to the dessert table and informed them that should they desire traditional Japanese confections instead, there is a _wagashi_ shop in town from which the tea ceremony club ordered their sweets. She then listed some of the other food shops in town, including a ramen restaurant that Zero frequented and a café famous for both their parfaits and the recurrent presence of the popular Aidou-senpai.

The girls left the dining hall and stepped outside of the main building, heading towards the school gardens. Yuki and Maria shared a parasol as they followed Yoko through the bright outdoors. Around them, the once verdant gardens were now preparing for its winter dormancy.

“During warmer weather, a lot of students hang out here in the gardens. Unfortunately, the flowers are gone now, but the gardens are very pretty in the spring and summer.”

“Oh yes, I know,” Yuki said without thinking.

She had seen the gardens when she spied on Yoko during the warmer seasons. Her sister liked to sit on the bench near the large camphor tree and read.

Yoko turned back to stare at her curiously.

Maria quickly came to her rescue. “What Yuki meant is that we saw pictures of the blooming school gardens on the information pamphlet and they look very nice.”

Yuki nodded frantically. “Uh yes, that is exactly what I meant. I really look forward to seeing the flowers in person next year.”

Yoko smiled and turned to face the front again, continuing with their tour. They walked past a small grove of bare magnolia trees and paused by a large, tiered, white stone fountain.

“According to some students, there is a superstition that if you and your lover throw a coin into this fountain, your relationship will be long and happy. That is why the bottom of the fountain is always filled with coins.”

Yuki peered into the fountain and indeed it was littered with shiny coins. Although it was superstition, it sounded fun to toss in a coin. Maria tugged her away from the fountain as Yoko beckoned at them to follow her.

She took them to the lakefront where the boy’s rowing team was currently practicing and informed them about the various clubs and sports teams the school offered. Halfway through a sentence, Yoko felt a hand on her arm and stopped talking. Turning around, she saw that Yuki had moved so close that she could almost count all her individual eyelashes. Yoko looked back at her with a patient but questioning gaze.

“Yuki!” Maria gasped in alarm, hoping she would not forget her promise to Kaname-sama.

Yuki reluctantly removed her hand.

“Ah! I am sorry Cross-san…sometimes I get too caught up in the moment and forget myself.”

“It is alright Kuran-san. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Um, no, really it isn’t anything important. I just…” she looked down shyly, before suddenly grabbing Yoko’s hand and clasping it tightly with both her hands. “I don’t have any other friend my age besides Maria, and I would really like to become friends with you and get to know you better.”

Her hands were soft and warm, and she was blushing slightly. Her brown eyes, large and beseeching stared into Yoko’s blue ones. Even though Yoko was aware that looks could be deceiving and that this girl was technically a powerful pureblood vampire, Yuki had a certain honest quality about her that made Yoko feel inclined to believe her. That and the odd feeling of familiarity with this girl that she had never met.

Yoko nodded. “I would like that too. And you can just call me Yoko from now on.”

* * *

“Yuki! You mustn’t forget your promise despite your desire to get closer to Yoko-sama,” Maria chided.

Yuki hung her head with some shame. She knew she had almost slipped up and was glad her best friend had been there to stop her the whole time.

They had already finished the tour and Yoko had bid them goodbye before returning to the main building for her other duties. Yuki sighed and looked longingly across the dorm gates and the lake to where the roof of the main building was visible.

Even though she had spied on her sister before with her familiars and had saved her during that incident with the level E, it was a very different experience being able to interact with Yoko for the first time. Her sister had actually looked back at her and conversed with her this time!

Yuki felt like she could stare at her sister all day and the fascination would remain. Although they were twins, they barely resembled one another. Their physiques were noticeably different. Yoko was taller than her by half a foot and was also more gifted in the chest area, Yuki had noted with some wonderment when she pressed against her in a tight hug earlier. Physical appearances aside, Yoko was so politely behaved and mature it was hard to believe she was the younger sister and not the other way around. Yuki liked being the big sister though, she had always wanted a younger sibling to dote on and play with.

It was riveting, being so close to her twin, and Yuki would have sniffed her to inhale her scent when she hugged Yoko goodbye, if it had not been for the judgmental look Maria shot her. Maria practically had to pry her off and drag her away from the slightly baffled prefect who smiled cordially at them before leaving.

Maria sighed softly seeing Yuki pout and gave the brunette's arm a gentle squeeze.

“You will see Yoko-sama often from now on, there is no need to rush. Let’s get back to the dorm for now, Yuki. It’s about time the others wake up.”

* * *

Right after Yuki and Maria returned, Seiren, a quiet girl who served as Kaname’s personal assistant informed them that Kaname sama was waiting in the main gathering room. As they had arrived around early morning, the other students had already turned in to bed. Yuki and Maria had likewise gone to sleep in their already prepared beds as soon as they got to their rooms. Soon after they awoke, they had attended the tour of the school grounds. It was only now that they would be introduced to their classmates.

Quickly running her fingers through her hair and patting down her uniform, Yuki headed to the large room where everyone was gathered. At her entrance, the rest of the class bowed respectfully. With her back straight and gait even as her mother had taught her, she walked over to her brother, with Maria following behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, Yuki noticed the four males who had been with her brother on the day Yoko got attacked. They were standing closer to Kaname than the rest of the students, along with two females.

Kaname indicated to her while looking at the rest of the students.

“Class, this is my younger sister. We were raised separately after the deaths of my parents, but she will be joining us at Cross Academy now.”

At his words, more than a few glances were exchanged, but the aristocrat students were aware that they needed to respect the privacy of the purebloods. They kept their curiosity to themselves, not wanting to accidentally cross a line and earn the wrath of Kaname-sama.

Turning to her, Kaname asked her to introduce herself.

Gulping, Yuki turned to face the students. It was her first time engaging in public speaking, and she was nervous. However, both her mother and her brother had previously warned her about letting emotions slip in front of lower ranking vampires, for fear they would use it against her. That was just the way vampire society worked, with the weaker masses constantly looking for potential weaknesses in their pureblood superiors – a precarious balance that required one to be vigilant at all times.

She forced herself to smile and speak calmly. “My name is Yuki Kuran, it is a pleasure to be attending school with you all from now on. I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to know you better.”

“Yuki-sama,” the students murmured, their eyes on her.

That went better than she had expected, and she was relieved when her brother started talking again, drawing the attention back to him. He asked Maria to introduce herself, which the noble did quickly and politely.

“Despite my sister joining us, we will carry on as before. There is no need to let our presences distract you from your usual school life.” 

After that, Kaname turned to Takuma, the vice president, indicating at him to finish the meeting. The rest of the meeting was a routine announcement of upcoming school events and discussion of mundane dorm issues. After some minutes, the students were dismissed, and Yuki was free to return to her room and rest before classes started in an hour.

* * *

Her suite was on the top floor like her brother’s and it was the third largest room. Takuma had offered to move out of his room, the second largest one, but Yuki had declined his kind gesture, not wanting to trouble him and Senri, who was apparently his roommate. In fact, she preferred a smaller room, it would feel cozier and less lonely that way.

One of the dorm maids, a cheerful and bespectacled girl who went by the name Miki had already unpacked most of her belongings. Miki was the maid who had greeted them with a wide smile upon their arrival and helped them move in. When Yuki first saw Miki, she had been vaguely reminded of Aoi and instinctively knew that this was someone not to mess with. There was definitely a steely strength lurking beneath that smiling exterior and petite build.

Returning to her room, Yuki saw that her textbooks were stacked in size order on the bookshelves and that her hair accessories and cosmetics were placed methodically on the vanity. Opening her walk-in closet, she looked at her neatly arranged clothes and shoes. She touched the sleeve of a new dress as she examined the contents of her closet. Many of the clothes were new, purchased when she went shopping with Aoi a week ago. Kaname onii-sama had told her to prepare for school life and had given Aoi an undisclosed sum of money to fund her shopping spree.

Yuki had never been in such high-end boutiques before and had felt out of place as the staff bustled around her recommending this dress or that coat. While the clothes she had obtained from the fancy stores were impeccable and consistent with the image of a pureblood princess, she was most excited about the few articles of clothing she had whined and begged Aoi to let her buy. As they passed by the more affordable shops, she had convinced the tired Aoi to purchase some of the casual fashion she had seen in Maria’s magazines. Finally, she owned some shorts and cute T-shirts!

She was also excited to venture into town on the weekends with Maria and try out the local cafes and confectionary shops when she was not busy trying to catch glimpses of Yoko. She wondered if Yoko enjoyed desserts like her and if Kaname onii-sama would be okay with her casually inviting Yoko out to a café or something. Life at school was going to be splendid!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fan book says that the Day Class at Cross Academy consists of grade school, junior high, high school and college. I don’t recall ever seeing a single elementary schooler there in either the manga or anime, everyone looked like a high schooler. TBH, the idea that it contains grade school through college is ridiculous in terms of logistics, and the headmaster doesn’t seem capable of managing such a complex school system. Thus, in this story Cross Academy is a rich, private, boarding school only for high schoolers. 
> 
> On another note, apparently its considered impolite to eat while walking in Japan. And Miki is based off the maid in canon who carried a giant stack of books to Takuma with just one arm.


	16. New Student

Right on the dot at 6 o’clock, the heavy gates barring entry to the Moon Dorm opened and the Night Class began their procession past the enthusiastic and loud fangirls. Yuki thought she would be prepared for since she had already witnessed them a few times prior via her familiar. However, as soon as she went forth a few steps, following behind Kaname, she realized how wrong she was.

The high-pitched shrieks and enamored screams assaulted her sensitive vampire hearing. She glanced at Maria and saw her friend trying to hold back a wince, just like herself. Both of them had spent the majority of their lives up in the mountains within the quiet of nature, but now they were experiencing the higher end of the decibel scale. The cacophony around them brought to mind the battle fields of ancient world wars. Yuki wondered if this was how soldiers had felt as they hid in trenches while the racket of cannons and artillery fire filled the air.

The two girls survived their first encounter with the fangirls and followed their classmates to the dining hall where breakfast was being served. Kaname gestured for Yuki and Maria to sit at the same table as he and Hanabusa, while the remainder of his clique sat at the next table. He then informed them the blond aristocrat would be in charge of helping them settle in on their first day of class.

The blond stood up and bowed deeply to Yuki. His cerulean eyes shimmered with excitement and pride at the fact that Kaname had entrusted this important task to him.

“My name is Hanabusa Aidou, and I am a loyal follower of Kaname-sama’s. I am pleased to help Yuki-sama with settling into life at school. If there is anything you need assistance with, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

Yuki smiled awkwardly at the aristocrat’s fervor and thanked him. She suspected he had high expectations of her, given how he adored her brother, and that he would be shocked when he eventually discovered she wasn’t as he imagined her to be. She had always been aware that she possessed neither the authoritative yet mysterious charisma of her mother and brother, nor the cocksure confidence of Shizuku.

Mealtime came to an end as 7 o’clock approached and the students dispersed to their respective lecture halls. Hanabusa led the two girls to an empty lecture hall where he had them seated a few feet apart from each other and informed them of the protocol. All students admitted into the Night Class had to take placement tests for the core subjects of literature, math, science, and history before they could attend the courses. Yuki and Maria were no exception.

As soon as he spoke the word ‘exam’, Yuki felt the blood drain from her face.

She had completely forgotten about the placement exams, even though Maria had warned her about them once the week prior. Okay, maybe Maria had warned her more than once… Unlike her, Maria had actually read the details in the orientation packet the school mailed them and had strongly suggested Yuki review her lessons before heading off to school. As usual, Yuki had ignored her friend’s sensible advice, and thus here she was, filled with dread about the exams she now faced.

While the blond turned around to sort the unorganized pile of test papers on the teacher’s desk, Yuki turned to face Maria. “Help me!” she mouthed and made a pleading expression. Maybe her friend could somehow wriggle their way out of this.

In return, Maria simply sent her a look that read “I cannot help you, you reap what you sow”, before turning again to face the front. Whenever Maria reacted to her like this, Yuki could see she was a distant relative of her mother’s – they had the same icy glare. Yuki grimaced, there was no other option but to take the exams.

Hanabusa finished arranging the exam papers and distributed them among the two girls.

“These tests are meant to give the teachers a rough idea of what you already know and what you need extra help with. This is necessary since most of the Night Class students were homeschooled and the curriculums were not standardized. Of course, these exams won’t be any trouble for you, Yuki-sama. After all you are a pureblood, and Kaname-sama’s little sister too!” Hanabusa concluded and smiled brightly at her.

Yuki forced herself to smile back.

The blond interpreted her smile as indication that she was ready and clapped his hands together. “Very well, now that the details are out of the way, let us begin the exams. You have exactly one hour for the history exam.”

As soon as Yuki flipped over her first exam and skimmed the questions, she felt herself break into a light sweat. She deeply regretted not paying attention during her lessons. As the minutes ticked by, she stealthily glanced around. Aidou-senpai was busy reading a scientific journal instead of proctoring, apparently having faith that she and Maria won’t cheat. She glanced at Maria on the opposite end of the bench and saw her friend engrossed in her exams, with one page already completed and put neatly to the side.

Yuki gulped. She would have to start writing, time was ticking away. Almost a third of the questions were multiple choice while the rest was short answer. Hopefully partial credit was given, and that luck was on her side.

* * *

By the time Yuki scribbled her last answer, she was visibly exhausted. She had no idea how people could sit through several exams in a row. There had only been a single ten-minute break the whole duration! When Hanabusa took the papers from her and asked if the exams were as easy as he had assured her, she only smiled meekly.

After collecting their exams, the blond proceeded to give a presentation on the electives available. The Night Class had more leeway with their studies and schedules than the Day Class since many of them had been homeschooled by the best tutors money could afford and also benefitted from the enhanced intelligence of vampires. Although there were exceptions, the average vampire was smarter than the average human.

At Cross Academy, a plethora of electives were offered. These included filmmaking, dance, interior design, and philosophy among others. After much in-depth consideration, Yuki marked down oil painting, horseback riding, cinema studies, and photography. She had always liked watching movies and cinema studies sounded like a class in which they did just that. Horseback riding was a no-brainer, she loved being outdoors and had always wanted to ride a horse! As for the art elective, she decided that painting was preferable to the classes with assigned reading and writing. 

Finally, for her last elective she chose photography. She wanted to learn how to take photos that she would send to her mother. Yuki was aware her mother had always been imprisoned and had never experienced society – much less school. Besides sending photos to reassure her mother she was doing well, she hoped the photos would help satisfy any curiosity her mother might have about normal school life.

* * *

The very next day, soon after Yuki awoke, Seiren knocked on her door and informed her that Kaname-sama wanted to see her. Yuki quickly brushed her hair and threw on a shawl before heading down the hall to his room.

Kaname was sitting at his desk, a warm cup of tea and a stack of papers before him. Yuki stood nervously before him, wondering what he wanted to discuss. Glancing down, Yuki gulped when she saw her name on the top paper – it was her history exam from last night. There was a large 45% written and underlined in bright red ink next to her name. This was not good…

With a stern frown, Kaname informed her that Aidou had graded the exams and that while Maria had passed them all, Yuki’s own scores were “disappointing” to put it lightly. To be concise, she had failed all her exams except for the literature one, which she had narrowly passed with a score of 67%.

Yuki felt a rush of gratitude to her mother for reading the classics to her, even back when she was too young to understand a thing. She could still remember all the times her mother had tucked her into bed and read in her calm voice the words great writers and philosophers had left behind, as well as the times her mother had recited famous poems. Although Yuki hadn’t understood what her mother had been reading to her half the time, it seems some of the works had managed to leave an impression.

“Your mother did hint at the state of your academic progress, but it appears I mistook her words for the exaggerated concerns of a parent with overly high expectations.”

Yuki burned red with mortification and shame. She wondered what Aidou-senpai thought of her now after having graded her exams. She also hoped her brother would not blame her mother for her poor grades. Her mother had tried, but unfortunately Yuki herself was simply uninterested and had paid only the barest attention to her lessons.

Kaname sighed. “This is what we shall do. You will attend literature and the other classes with the rest of us, and Aidou will tutor you in private on the core subjects you are deficient in. I expect that you will strive to improve your grades.”

Yuki nodded timidly. “I am sorry Kaname onii-sama.”

He softened his expression and held her gaze. “Yuki, you are a princess of the esteemed Kuran family. There are certain standards you have to live up to, do you understand?”

She nodded again and he dismissed her. As she shut the door behind her, she tried to comfort herself that there was a silver lining – she managed to pass the literature exam. At the very least, the situation could not get worse.

* * *

Unfortunately, as is often the case in life, when one wonders if the situation could get worse, one will discover that yes, it can indeed get worse.

Before the first week was over, Yuki received a long letter from her mother, one she read with trembling hands and a chastised expression. She could see feel the heavy, menacing anger of her mother permeating the elegant handwriting. Apparently Kaname had written a letter to Shizuka, giving her an update on how Yuki was settling into school life. Unfortunately for Yuki, he had also reported her inadequacies in the academic subjects.

Upon reading Kaname’s letter detailing her daughter’s failure to be admitted into multiple classes, Shizuka had felt a migraine coming on and had to lay down, simmering in disapproval, disappointment, and embarrassment. The following day she had sat down and crafted a lengthy, multi-paged letter indicating the full weight of her censure, warning Yuki to study hard and not be derelict in her academic endeavors. Yuki shuddered, thinking off the consequences she would be met with upon her return home if she did not do as ordered.

* * *

During her first week of school, Yuki could not help comparing life at school with life at home.

Life back home in the mountains with her mother and Aoi was simple. She would wake up, eat breakfast, and sit through 5 hours of lessons with a lunch break in between. After that, there was an hour of sword training before she was finally free for the rest of the night. Usually she went over to Maria’s house where they would watch television or bake something together. Then depending on what weeknight it was, she would either return home for dinner, or stay at Maria’s to dine.

It had become custom for the Kurenais to invite their pureblood relative and associates over for dinner thrice a week. Yuki loved eating at the Kurenais. While Aoi was a decent cook, Maria’s mother was a genius in the culinary arts and prepared all sorts of wonderful dishes. She specialized in Japanese cuisine but was also quite proficient at other cuisines. Apparently, her family owned a famous, centuries old, Kaiseki restaurant. It was at this restaurant she had learned her skills and met Maria’s father, who had come in one night to dine with friends, celebrating the successful production of his first play.

After dinner, Yuki would spend the remaining hours before bedtime lounging around the living room. Her mother and Aoi would be in the living room where they had set up their make-shift studio, absorbed in their embroidery and sewing. Not long after they had moved into the mountains, Maria’s mother had gotten them jobs through her connections.

Shizuka was prideful and did not want to rely on the Kurenais more than necessary. She was also very bored and found some pleasure in working. Aoi was the type that found meaning in work and felt restless when she was not toiling. There was only so much to do as a maid of two purebloods hiding in a cabin deep in the mountains. As a result, Aoi now did contract sewing work aside from her forays into the stock market, while Shizuka embroidered expensive kimonos and obis. Shizuka enjoyed the work, it was nice earning her own money and she had always done embroidery as a pastime anyway.

While Aoi operated the sewing machine and her mother expertly adorned colorful kimono patterns with gold or silver threads, Yuki would laze on the sofa and ramble about her day. As the night drew to an end, her mother would send her off to shower and to bed. Yuki had peacefully lived the past 3 years this way.

Life at school was more rushed.

Yuki usually got up around 3 in the afternoon and lounged around her room for a bit. Since they didn’t have access to the dining hall until a few hours later, most of the Night Class students had a light snack such as a fruit from the dorm kitchen during this time. The kitchen was fully functional, but not much real cooking occurred there, as most of the Night Class were rich and used to having chefs doing the cooking. The refrigerator and pantry shelves were thus filled with store-bought snacks instead of fresh ingredients.

After grabbing a snack from the kitchen, Yuki would return to her room and work on her numerous homework assignments. Unfortunately, she was prone to getting distracted by the TV in her room when Maria was not present to supervise her. As 6 p.m. approached, she would change into her uniform and assemble with the rest of the students in front of the dorm gates.

Every weeknight, the gates would open the moment the clock struck 6. The Night Class would make their way past the devoted fangirls and arrive at the main building. Yuki would grin and wave excitedly whenever she passed by Yoko. The prefect would respond with an affable smile before turning back to her duties.

The students would stream into the dining hall where they ate and hung out until classes started at 7. Yuki would then follow Aidou-senpai to an unoccupied lecture hall where he would tutor her until her short lunch break at 9. After lunch she would finish her tutoring session before attending the other courses with her classmates.

Classes ended at midnight, and the athletes headed to the fitness center while the rest went to their club activities or the library. During this time Yuki would pop into different clubs and see if any of them caught her fancy. Students would then return to the dining hall for dinner around 2 to 3 a.m. Yuki usually retired to the Moon Dorm after dinner and would spend two hours doing homework with assistance from Maria.

Yuki was thankful to Aidou-senpai for tutoring her, but she preferred Maria’s pedagogical methods. The blond was a genius, strikingly intelligent even for a vampire, but like most geniuses, his talents lay in research and not teaching. He expected her to know things by default and his attempts at explaining usually confused her even more. Maria on the other hand was accustomed to teaching Yuki and explaining concepts in ways she could understand. Most importantly, Yuki was able to relax around her and not worry about keeping up appearances. With Aidou-senpai, she was Kaname-sama’s cherished younger sister, whereas with Maria, she was just plain old Yuki.

After finishing her homework, she would shower and watch some more TV. She missed spending the last hours before bedtime talking with her mother and Aoi and often wondered how they were faring. Around 6 or 7 in the morning, she would finally go to sleep, bringing her night to an end as the sun rose higher in the sky.

By the end of the first week, Yuki was more or less acclimated to her new schedule. She had started to settle into the routines of school but at the end of the second week, someone unexpected appeared and shook up her newfound stability.

* * *

Yuki shot up from her chair and gasped audibly at the sight of the new student who had entered the meeting room and was now standing near Takuma. She had been surprised when Seiren informed her about an impromptu meeting and had wondered what couldn’t wait until next week’s meeting.

While Takuma addressed the students about the newcomer joining them, Yuki stared intensely at the new student without blinking. That golden-orange hair and those chartreuse green eyes on a devilishly handsome face. That all too familiar aura...

Ah – now he was looking straight at her with a small smirk! That cinched it, this was definitely him, even though he appeared older now. That condescending smirk was something she would never mistake or forget, not even after a million years!

She would have leapt down the stairs and dragged him away to shake and question him if it were not for the look of warning Kaname onii-sama was giving her now, as if he had been blessed with the gift of telepathy and had sensed her desires. Yuki reluctantly sat back down in her seat under the firm stare of her brother. Sometimes she could positively swear he shared parenting notes with her mother since their “don’t test my patience” glares were identical in their ability to freeze her blood.

“Class, we have another important pureblood lord joining our school. Please welcome Shizuku Toma-sama.”

The non-pureblood members of the class bowed deeply, displaying the required respect.

Shizuku smiled confidently (and a bit smugly in Yuki’s opinion) and briefly introduced himself, stating that he was here for a new experience, having been drawn in by the school’s noble goal of fostering coexistence with humans, and concluded that they did not need to mind his presence too much. He paid absolutely no heed to the dark and seething aura surrounding Yuki, who glowered at him from the back of the meeting room.

* * *

As soon as the meeting was over, Yuki rushed after him, too intent on her target to care about the way she appeared to others. Maria would just have to admonish her about running around in an unlady-like manner later. Shizuku had already turned down the corridor and disappeared from sight. When she arrived at the intersection at the end of the hall, a voice interrupted her before she could even decide whether to turn left or right.

“Looking for me?”

She whipped around to see him leaning casually against the wall to her right. He was looking at her with an amused smile and a somewhat taunting gleam in his eyes. Seeing him up close, his current appearance made her feel even more confused. Although she had always been aware that his boyish façade hid his true age, it was odd seeing those familiar green eyes on the unfamiliar face of a teenager.

Back when she first met him, she had almost thought him a girl with his thick eyelashes and large eyes, but now his visage was undeniably male. That and the fact that he was now taller than her by almost a full foot. She had only ever known him as a ten-year-old boy that never aged, like Peter Pan from the story Aoi once read to her. It was hard connecting the memory of the Shizuku she had always known to the Shizuku currently standing in front of her.

Seeing her continue to gawk at him with a dumbfounded expression, her mouth slightly open but not saying anything, he sighed lightly and stepped closer. Peering down into her face, he flicked his index finger on her forehead, causing her to emit a small yelp and bringing her squarely back to the present. For some reason Yuki found her face growing heated when he was standing so near.

Noticing her reddened face, he smirked. “What? Are you so impressed by how handsome I am with my real face that you are stunned into silence?”

Yuki scowled, the immense size of his ego certainly had not changed. Before she had found it easy to humor him and his arrogance, given his childish countenance but now it irked her when he behaved the same way in his older form.

“Oh please, Kaname onii-sama is just as handsome if not more!”

“Eh, you are right…he is so beautiful that it is quite shocking you two are related given your mediocre looks!” he readily retorted.

It was entertaining how her face was red as a beet now – a sight he will never get tired of.

Yuki fumed but decided to ignore his rudeness, another characteristic trait of his that he failed to shed even though his body had matured, focusing instead on what she wanted to know.

“What are you even doing here?!” she demanded.

He frowned and a twinge of irritation flickered across his face. “Well well…not even a basic greeting huh? Anyway, to answer your question, I was bored and decided to come see this Cross Academy that you and Kaname are playing students at.”

“Don’t you have work to do as the head of the Toma clan? Besides, this is a serious place of learning! You shouldn’t join just for your amusement!”

He arched his eyebrows and laughed. She of all people had the least right to tell him off about attending for amusement. She was here to stalk her twin sister, not to take advantage of the educational resources this ‘serious place of learning’ offered.

“You really are a boorish girl, aren’t you? And here I thought you would be excited to see me, your old friend, after not being able to meet this past year. It turns out you are the type of person to quickly forget about your friends once you no longer need them.”

She frowned and looked down, reprimanded by his words.

“Don’t worry, your brother knew I was joining. No one can join the Night Class without his permission after all. I have already filled out the paperwork and have been made aware of the tedious rules. Besides, it’s not as though I joined for your sake, I am interested in checking out this school for myself and seeing what those weakling humans are like in their natural environment.”

Yuki wondered if Kaname onii-sama had allowed Shizuku to join because of her close connection with him. Or perhaps he would have allowed any non-enemy pureblood to join simply for the sake of gaining support for the idea of coexistence. So far, the only pureblood family to back Cross Academy was the Kurans, thus the headmaster was undoubtedly pleased the leader of the Toma clan was showing positive interest in the school.

“If you’re done interrogating me, I’m going to rest in my room after that long journey.” Shizuku stepped away and turned to head down the corridor.

Yuki bit her lip and lifted a hand to hold him back, but he was already out of reach. It was true that she had not welcomed him warmly like a good friend should have and had treated him like an intrusive nuisance instead. Her own unseemly behavior disconcerted her.

“Shizuku, I …” she trailed off uncertainly, watching him walk further away.

She wanted to apologize for her behavior. She had missed him this past year but somehow upon meeting again things ended on a sour note. Why did she react so contentiously now that he looked different? His attitude and mannerisms were the same as before, only his physical appearance had changed. This was still the same Shizuku she had met all those years ago in front of the snowman.

“I was just joking about you forgetting your old friends, so stop frowning at my back. See you later,” he announced without turning around and disappeared down the hall.

At his parting words, her spirits lifted a little.

* * *

As Shizuku headed back to the room he had taken up in the old dorm building, finding it too crowded and noisy in the newer one, he reflected on the decisions that had bought him here.

A few weeks ago, Shizuka had informed him by mail that Yuki had reunited with her brother and would be attending Cross Academy. Upon receiving the missive, he had been irritated that Yuki herself had not bothered to tell him, apparently having completely forgotten about him in her excitement.

That girl had had the nerve to ignore his last letter! It seemed the older she got, the more brazen she became. Even back when she was a sniveling child, she was already dropping the honorific from his name and acting like they were best chums. The last time they met, she had even treated him like a youngster, patting his head and all.

He knew Yuki was annoyed that he had taken a while to reply to her letter. But in his defense, he had been busy dealing with the surge of level E’s running amok in his territory (no doubt thanks to the Senate and Rido for his interference 3 years ago). He had initially been miffed that she had not replied within a week as she usually did. Yet as months passed with no reply, he had pondered writing her another letter as an olive branch. However, that idea was discarded as it seemed too desperate and he most certainly did not miss her enough to do so! As a result of his and her obstinance, neither willing to make the first move towards reconciliation, they had lost contact for almost half a year.

Thankfully, the Senate had not been causing trouble for him recently, so he had been free to spend the past month brooding in his mansion. After Shizuka’s letter, he had paced around restlessly for a few days to the concern of his butler Saikawa, before deciding to enroll too.

It had not been a light decision, for Shizuku had to return to his real form, the form he hadn’t taken on for the past seventy years. Saikawa had almost burst into tears of joy upon seeing his young master revert to his adult form.

Shizuku reasoned that he might as well attend Cross Academy to alleviate his ennui. Besides, someone needed to keep an eye on that bumbling and airheaded girl before she somehow got herself hurt. A part of him was also tired of Yuki treating him like a little kid and figured it was time for her to see him in his true form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese multi-course dinner and basically their equivalent of haute cuisine.


	17. School Life

The Night Class was now a lot more interesting with a total of three purebloods in attendance. Some students had initially been extremely nervous due to the possibility of Cross Academy turning into a battleground if the three purebloods had a violent falling-out. It was generally known that the Toma clan had never been particularly close with the Kurans. For the first few days, most students were on edge, feeling like they were sitting on a powder keg which was ready to explode any moment. Thankfully, the first week passed without incident and their fears were allayed upon further observation of the trio.

Yuki-sama was strangely unlike a pureblood in her manner and words, brightly greeting them and constantly smiling. Shizuku-sama was confident to the point of being brash, but he seemed to follow the rules that Kaname-sama and the headmaster had set up. Furthermore, he seemed to get along well with Yuki-sama, the two of them apparently longtime friends. Given their relationships with one another, the worried aristocrats felt some relief. They did not seem to be in any danger of getting dragged into a power struggle between the purebloods, at least for now.

As for the Day Class, the fangirls were delighted by the addition of the new male to the Night Class. His fan club sprouted up almost overnight and burgeoned until it was only second to that of Kaname’s. Yuki noted with mild displeasure how Shizuku responded to the fangirls in an uncharacteristically charming manner instead of his usual rude self.

She stared in disbelief one day, her eyes wide as saucers as she witnessed him help a Day Class girl who had fallen due to the jostling crowds. He gently pulled the girl up and inquired if she was alright. The girl stared at him in a daze, shocked to be in such proximity to one of the most desired members of the Night Class. A few seconds passed before she eventually recovered her senses, blushed, and thanked him profusely. When he returned to his regular place near her in the procession, Yuki stepped closer to him.

“Well, that was quite a show. No doubt they believe you are Prince Charming now. You acted so gentle I have goosebumps on my arm from just watching! Too bad they don’t see the way you usually behave,” she whispered with a touch of rancor.

“Acting?” He raised a perfect eyebrow. “I simply behaved as I should. No proper gentleman would walk by and ignore a lady in need of assistance.”

“You never behave like a gentleman around me!” she hissed, careful to keep her voice low.

“Well…that’s because I find it hard to even see you as a girl.” He smirked and walked off before she could smack him with her textbooks.

_Not a girl?! How dare he?!_ Yuki fumed and pressed her books tighter to her chest.

* * *

After Shizuku’s insult to her femininity, Yuki soon returned to her routine bickering with him. He was still the same arrogant and immature friend she had known since she was a child, despite the teenage body he now inhabited. Although she didn’t admit it, she was happy to see Shizuku again, and glad she had both Maria and him by her side. However, she still wanted to expand her social circle – it was one of the things she had looked forward to.

Unfortunately, the aristocrat students generally kept out of her way. Even though she acted herself, all smiles and warmth when she came across them in the halls or in class, they just bowed courteously before promptly taking their leave. Although they were respectful, they did not interact with her more than necessary. After the first few weeks, she befriended only three aristocrats: Maria’s roommate and the two granddaughters of the Amaterasu Cosmetics founder, who were mentioned during their school tour.

Maria’s roommate, Kikue Matsui, was a pretty girl with carmine red hair, teal eyes, and an upbeat and carefree personality. She came from a family of distinguished academics whose political leanings were anti-Senate like most of the other Night Class students and their families. Kikue also happened to be the president of the Night Class’s baking club and had scouted Maria within the first week of her arrival after tasting the matcha swiss roll the later had baked.

Ayumi and Nozomi Fukuhara were cousins, both gorgeous with long black hair and hickory brown eyes that they had inherited from the matriarch of their family. Nozomi was one year older than Ayumi and often behaved like a patient older sister to her younger cousin. While Nozomi was introverted, Ayumi was a social butterfly. By pure coincidence, the cousins inhabited the bedroom next to Maria’s and the girls had struck up a friendship. They had been drawn over one night by the heavenly aroma of the Castella cake Maria had baked for Yuki (a reward for passing her latest history test).

Due to Yuki frequently visiting Maria, she had naturally gotten acquainted with Kikue and both Fukuharas. Kikue ended up roping all of them into the baking club, which had been experiencing a severe shortage of members. It seemed Kikue, although knowledgeable about pastries, was not a talented baker herself and the club had struggled to attract and retain members, until it reached the point where Kikue was the only member left. During their club meetings, Maria would bake up a storm with the assistance of Nozomi, while Ayumi prepared the tea. Kikue and Yuki would just watch in awe and wait hungrily for teatime; somehow those two always had room left for dinner (and dessert) despite stuffing themselves on pastries earlier.

When they were not in the kitchen, the girls would hang out in one of their bedrooms where they ate sweets, discussed TV shows and movies, tried on different outfits, and put on make-up. Thanks to the Fukuhara’s family business, they always had the latest line of lipsticks and eyeshadows to experiment with. During these gatherings, Yuki also found out the latest gossip about who was dating who, parties their classmates had thrown, and other miscellaneous information that excited her nosy side.

* * *

Despite Yuki’s desire to make more friends, her social efforts had stagnated after Kikue and the Fukuharas. When she thought deeper about it, those three girls had only started interacting with her due to her relationship with Maria, they hadn’t approached her on their own. And when they first met her, they had been polite but reserved. They had only started relaxing around her during the third week of hanging out with her.

Yuki initially shrugged off the aristocrats’ response to her as bashfulness or general wariness to purebloods. However, as the end of the first month neared with no significant change, she realized it wasn’t just her imagination that they were keeping their distance from her. Aside from her brother’s clique and the baking club members, none of her classmates had really interacted with her.

“This is so frustrating, why are the rest of the students avoiding me?” she whined to Shizuku one night after class.

She was visiting him in his suite at the old dorm building. This two-story building was where the first class of Night Class students had stayed before the current Moon Dorm was completed. It was smaller and less lavish than the newer building, but it was more peaceful. Shizuku had settled into the largest suite and Yuki saw small touches from his manor, like a framed photo of his parents on his desk. She often showed up uninvited to his place, sometimes hiding from Maria who was supposed to help her with homework.

“That’s the natural response to a pureblood. They know we are their rulers, they are our subordinates, and behave accordingly. You would do well to act your part too,” he replied, not bothering to glance up from his business magazine.

“That’s too cold. I don’t want followers, I want friends that aren’t afraid of me, friends that don’t treat me well just because of the fact that I’m a pureblood,” Yuki muttered into the cushion she was hugging.

Shizuku put down his magazine and turned his head towards her. “How can lower-bloods not be afraid of us when we have the ability to force them to act against their will? Even if some of them genuinely care for us, the fact that we can easily take their life remains.”

Yuki was silent for a while, wondering if Aoi felt that way about her. Aoi had helped raise her from her infancy– there was no way she feared her like that…Yuki stubbornly shook her head, refusing to think so cynically before she finally spoke again. “Aidou-senpai and Ichijou-senpai are really close with Kaname onii-sama though.”

“That’s because they grew up with him. It is tradition for us purebloods to grow up with a few children of similar ages from allied noble families. Those children became our loyal inner circle and are the closest we come to truly having lower bloods as friends. That didn’t happen for you and your mother given your unusual circumstances growing up, but at least you have Maria.”

Yuki buried her face into the silk cushion cover as she mulled over his words. Something still didn’t quite add up about her social situation despite his rational explanation. As she laid on his sofa and stared up at the ceiling, she suddenly realized what was bothering her.

“It’s not the issue of lacking an inner circle or being nervous around purebloods, most of the aristocrats are really avoiding me! Our classmates still come up to you and Kaname onii-sama sometimes, but none of them actively seek me out! Aside from my brother’s circle and Maria’s friends, none of the aristocrats bother with me – I’m almost a social pariah!” she exclaimed.

“You’re just imagining things,” Shizuku replied tersely, his face once again hidden behind his magazine.

“No, I’m not!” she huffed and drew herself into an upright position to glare at him. “It’s weird, I half expected the aristocrats to try ingratiating themselves with me since I’m one of their revered purebloods and all, but they’re actually evading me! Yesterday the guy sitting in front of me in literature class nearly jumped out of his skin when I tried talking to him!”

Shizuku groaned. “Just drop the matter already, it’s not that important.”

“It is! You just don’t care since you’re not the outcast here,” Yuki wailed.

With an exasperated sigh, he slapped his magazine shut and faced her again. “Fine, I wasn’t going to tell you since you would only get upset, but yes, the aristocrats are avoiding you…” He then bit his lip and evaded her inquiring gaze.

“Well, keep going!” she impatiently urged him on.

“It’s not anything you did, but they are scared of you because of your mother…” he paused briefly. “Shizuka has a reputation, she is pretty much a ‘madwoman in the attic’ figure to most vampires. Some of them believe that its bad luck to even say her name. And since she raised you, they are worried you aren’t quite right in the head either.”

“What?!” Yuki gasped, her eyes wide with utter shock. “What does that mean? How is my mother crazy? She never did anything to deserve that! If anyone is crazy it’s my uncle!” she sputtered indignantly.

“You’re right, but the average vampire doesn’t know that. It is easy for them to believe the rumors since very few people have ever met your mother. Unfortunately, the Hiou clan has mostly kept to themselves so people gossip. They believe the Hious, specifically their women are susceptible to insanity…that’s why the Hious rarely leave their territory.”

“That makes no sense! So my mother is apparently crazy enough to warrant being locked up her whole life, yet still sane enough to be married off to my uncle?” she fumed.

“Many rumors make no sense if one actually takes the time to examine them, but most people don’t care enough to. Anyway, there is nothing you can really do, it is what it is. Just ignore the rumors and continue on as before.”

“How am I supposed to act like nothing is wrong when my classmates believe my mother is a raving madwoman?” she snapped.

“Then what do you propose? Holding a press conference to disprove the rumor? That will just make them believe you are hiding something, and you would be infringing on your family’s privacy. I doubt Shizuka or your brother would appreciate your efforts to reveal the truth,” he countered.

Yuki groaned and flopped back down on the sofa. She hugged the pillow and turned away from him.

“What the others say or believe is not important, you know the truth for what it is.”

“But it isn’t fair…” she mumbled.

“Life often isn’t fair.”

“You aren’t helping! Don’t you know how to comfort someone?” she grumbled.

Staring at her uncharacteristically despondent figure, Shizuku sighed lightly. _Alright, its time to be as encouraging as I can be without breaking out into hives from the mushiness_ , he thought. _I need to restrain my inner cynic and sarcasm_. He took a few minutes to formulate his words carefully. Being kind and comforting was not something he was familiar with – that was Yuki’s specialty.

“Look…you should just keep being yourself, these things take time. Your classmates will change their minds once they know you better. You already won over the Fukuharas and Matsui with your er…unique charm. The others will come around eventually. When they see you aren’t as they had feared, they might even start questioning the rumor about your mother,” he paused, wondering if he sounded convincing. “Besides, your mother would want you to enjoy your life at school instead of fretting over meaningless rumors. It’s the parent’s job to worry about their child, not the other way around,” he concluded.

For a while Yuki didn’t say anything, and he tapped his fingers on his desk as he waited. A few minutes passed before she finally sat up and faced him, her lips pressed together and a determined glint in her eyes.

“You’re right,” she said.

_I am?_ He wondered and cocked an eyebrow. _My half-assed attempt at consoling her actually worked?_

“Shizuku, you’re right!” she repeated, this time with more vigor. “I won’t let the lies win – I will prove to them that my mother and I are different than what they were led to believe, and I _will_ enjoy my time at this school!”

* * *

Yuki had a mission now – she was going to change how her classmates viewed her, and eventually clear up any misconceptions they had about her mother too. First, she had to build up rapport with them. She decided the easiest place to start was her brother’s clique. Since they were the ones closest to her brother, she naturally wanted to be on familiar terms with them too. Once the others see her nicely integrated with this elite crowd, perhaps they would give her a chance…

Out of all the members of her brother’s inner circle, Ichijou-senpai was the friendliest and most approachable. The blond and green-eyed vice president of the dorm was apparently her brother’s closest friend. It was fun seeing the lively and cheerful Takuma’s interact with her reserved and somber brother and she found it easy to get along with him too.

A few nights after her conversation with Shizuku, Ichijou-senpai invited her to visit his room after class and she eagerly accepted. When Yuki stepped into the living room of his suite, she was met with the sight of a landscape of books. Books were crammed to maximum capacity on the three tall bookcases and there were more books arranged in haphazard piles throughout the room. The books were a disorganized mix of encyclopedias, dictionaries, poetry anthologies and more.

“I just love reading. Recently I have been in the mood for mysteries and my collector’s edition of the popular _Silver Coin Murders_ books arrived just yesterday. I haven’t had time to even unpack them from the box. Have you ever tried the series, Yuki-chan?” the blond asked as he closed the door behind him.

“No, I don’t read much…” Yuki laughed a little nervously. She was overwhelmed by the chaotic state of the room and worried if the floorboards would collapse under the weight of so many books.

“That’s a shame, the series is very good. It’s about a police inspector who has to track down a vigilante killer who places a silver coin in each of her victim’s mouths. I saw Yoko-chan reading the third book of the series a few weeks ago,” Takuma cheerily rambled as he led her through the disorderly room.

At the mention of her sister Yuki perked up. She wondered if he knew about Yoko’s real identity. It is possible given how close he was with her brother.

“Oh…then perhaps I should try it if so many people are reading it,” she said as she followed him through the precarious stacks.

“Do you like manga Yuki-chan? I actually have the manga adaptation of the series if you prefer to read it in a less wordy format.”

“Yes, that would be great! I usually just read shoujo manga,” she replied as she finally settled onto the sofa without having knocked any books over.

She wondered how Takuma and his roommate Senri lived in such a state without falling over books every time they moved.

“Ah, Yuki-chan does seem like the romantic type.” He chuckled and offered her a tin of butter cookies.

She accepted one and as she nibbled the cookie she continued glancing around. The door to Senri’s bedroom was shut but the one to Takuma’s was not. Even from her perch on the sofa, she could see the same chaos reigning in his room and spilling out into the shared living room. _Miki and the other maids must have a tough time cleaning Takuma-senpai’s room_ , Yuki thought.

Looking to her right, she noticed a large display cabinet positioned against one wall. It was filled with all sorts of items in no order she could discern. There was a whole shelf of lucky cat figurines in various sizes and colors, while another shelf hosted kokeshi dolls intermixed with small figures of smiling baby cherubs. On the bottommost shelf was a bunch of tanuki ceramic figures, some depicted in their usual straw hat while others were dressed as ninjas or samurais. The topmost shelf was dedicated to anime figurines, among them some cute magical girls, some mechas, a few buff males holding large swords, and more.

“Aren’t those figures awesome? I love collecting knickknacks, especially when I travel to different parts of the country,” he commented when he saw her eyeing his collection. “Feel free to look around while I go get the manga. I keep my manga in my bedroom, but it might take me a few minutes to find the first few volumes,” Takuma said and disappeared into his room.

Yuki finished her cookie and got up to examine his display cabinet. Five steps later, she felt something soft under her slipper. Glancing down as she removed her right foot, she saw a crumpled piece of navy-blue fabric on the rug. Frowning, she bent down and picked it up.

Three seconds later, she finally realized what she was holding and let out a small shriek as she flung the garment away. It landed on top of a waist-high pile of books nearby.

“What’s the matter Yuki-chan?!” Takuma hurried back. He placed the books he had retrieved on the coffee table.

Her face was flushed, and she was staring so hard her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she pointed to the blue fabric.

“Th-there’s a p-p-pair of m-men’s briefs!” she stammered in shock. She never thought she would see any man’s underwear, aside from those belonging to whoever she married in the distant future. It was one thing to see them on the sexy male models in the fashion magazines, but it was another seeing it in person.

The blond glanced at the offending underwear and burst out laughing. He eventually reined in his laughter, then playfully placed a fist against the side of his head, smiled shyly, stuck out his tongue and winked. “Teehee, sorry Yuki-chan. Those are mine.”

“Ehhhh?!” Yuki groaned. “Ichijou-senpai, why do you leave your underwear lying around? How do they even end up in the living room of all places?”

“Haha, I’m just careless about these things. Besides, my underwear could be left for all to see in the dorm foyer and I wouldn’t be embarrassed in the slightest,” he boasted.

Yuki grimaced and wondered how he could be so shameless. If she acted like him and left her bra or panties lying in full view in their living room, her mother was likely to skin her.

“Yuki-chan, is this your first time seeing a pair of men’s underwear?” he teased as he strode over and removed the underwear, unceremoniously curling it into a ball and tossing it into his bedroom.

Yuki’s already red cheeks turned a few shades more scarlet. Upon seeing that, Takuma laughed good-naturedly. He then gestured her to sit back down and they conversed about other things, such as his childhood memories with Kaname. Towards the end of the visit, he handed her the manga and told her to take her time finishing them, and that he had more to lend her if she wished.

* * *

Yuki was most familiar with Hanabusa Aidou, the blond with cerulean eyes who served as her private tutor. Aidou-senpai clearly revered her brother, and was initially very deferential to her too, to the point it made her uncomfortable. However, after the first week of school, he stopped putting her on a pedestal, although he still treated her with the respect befitting a pureblood.

Hanabusa found it hard to believe Yuki-sama was a pureblood, much less Kaname-sama’s sister. She lacked the poise and charisma that all the purebloods he had previously met possessed, and was rather an anomaly like their vice president, with her animated reactions and cheerful personality. Likewise, her wanting abilities in academia was extremely abnormal. After grading her placement exams, he had been stunned into silence for 3 whole days, during which he questioned everything he had been taught about purebloods.

After emerging from his shocked stupor, he was seized by a burning determination to fix the egregious situation. On his honor, he could not let Kaname-sama’s sister continue the way she was. His resolve lasted almost two weeks before it petered out. He had never met the enigmatic and scary Shizuka-sama before, but he felt he now understood what the pureblood had gone through trying to teach Yuki-sama.

Yuki-sama was perfectly nice and sweet as a person, but as a student she was exceedingly tiresome. She was prone to getting distracted and he often ended up getting dragged into irrelevant conversations with her when they were supposed to be going over the periodic table or an algebra problem. He would teach her a concept and upon asking her to explain it back to him a few minutes later, would often discover she had already forgotten the information.

Time and again he wondered if she was paying attention at all, as he frequently caught her sighing listlessly and staring out the window. He already caught her playfully trying to balance her pencil over her upper lip when he was teaching her about Mendelian inheritance, and in response, she had just smiled sheepishly back at him. Every time he was about to reprimand her, he would remember she was Kaname-sama’s younger sister and hold back his frustrated tirade.

In the midst of his despair at making minimum progress and not living up to Kaname-sama’s expectations, he would comfort himself with the excuse that he was just a level-B. If even Shizuka-sama, a pureblood and the mother who raised Yuki-sama could not succeed in teaching her, then he had even less chance to begin with.

On her part, Yuki came to discover how fun it was to tease the blond. He practically worshipped her brother, and she suspected that if Kaname ever asked Aidou to do something as absurd as hand walk from the Moon Dorm to the lecture halls, the blond would do his best to comply. Every time she asked him why he was so devoted to Kaname, he would launch into a passionate speech about how great Kaname-sama was and how he exuded the aura of a ‘supreme ruler’. In this way, she managed to shave off at least a quarter hour from each of their tutoring sessions.

* * *

Upon pestering Aidou-senpai with questions during one of their lessons, Yuki discovered that Ruka and Akatsuki were his cousins, hailing from junior branch families. She tried getting closer to them by sitting and chatting with them during mealtimes at the dining hall.

Akatsuki was tall and silent, with a reliable gaze in his orange eyes. Yuki found it a bit hard to talk to him, since he was naturally taciturn. However, he seemed kind and responsible, always stepping in to broker peace between his two constantly bickering cousins. He reminded her of the silent and loyal Seiren and Yuki knew her brother trusted him for good reason.

Ruka was one of the two females in her brother’s clique. She was a beautiful and mature lady who was very popular among the male students of the Day Class. Yuki admired the way she was always perfectly dressed, how her hair was always perfectly combed, and how she commanded the affections of so many fanboys without even trying. Unfortunately for the fanboys, Ruka was as equally enamored with her brother as Aidou-senpai was. As early as the second week, Yuki had seen the sparks of rivalry fly between the two cousins over their devotion to Kaname.

Yuki had been practicing using her new camera and had taken a few photos of her brother. She got a few nice shots of him reading a book while leaning against a window. Like her mother, he was blessed with the unnatural gift of looking graceful even when performing the most mundane actions. She wondered if it was actually possible for people like them to ever look inelegant – they had probably been photogenic even when they were newborns freshly delivered from the womb!

Later that same night, Ruka had knocked on her door and Aidou-senpai followed suit not even a minute later. They were both after the photos of her brother and offered to pay handsomely. The two cousins then got into a heated quarrel over who should obtain the photos, with Ruka insisting “first come first serve” and Aidou-senpai insisting they should go to the highest bidder. Their racket attracted the attention of her brother who appeared, burned the photos, and left Yuki and the two nobles staring at the small piles of ashes remaining on the floor.

* * *

Senri was an aristocrat vampire with mahogany red hair and bluish-gray eyes that constantly held a lifeless expression. When Yuki met him for the first time on the day Yoko was attacked, she had already thought he looked familiar. She only realized later that she had seen him gracing numerous magazine pages, usually in conjunction with Rima, the other female member of the clique. Seeing him up close, Yuki had been struck by the faint resemblance his visage had with her brother’s. When she casually mentioned that to Kaname, he offhandedly replied that the resemblance was not due to mere coincidence, it was because he was Rido’s illegitimate son, born to an aristocrat mother.

Although Yuki was initially surprised, after some thought she decided it was not so shocking. Based on the tidbits her mother had let slip over the years, and the info she scavenged from Aoi, she knew her uncle was not exactly a model husband. Having an affair was certainly not out of character for him, though it did make her wonder how many cousins she had running around.

Before Yuki could inquire further about their familial relationship, Kaname preemptively told her that Senri himself was not aware who his father was. Kaname only knew because he had gathered intel on those who had interacted with Rido in the past and present, and Senri’s mother and great uncle had been on the list, allowing him to make an educated guess. Furthermore, even though they were cousins, since Senri was not a pureblood, he would not have been acknowledged on their family register. Otherwise every pureblood clan’s family tree would be too complicated to keep track of.

It was just one of the realities of vampire society – pureblood men having affairs with those of lower ranks, especially the daughters of their supporters. In exchange for “gifting” them with children of purer blood, the noble families pledged their loyalty. Upon hearing this, Yuki could not help feeling scornful at the implication that it was socially acceptable and even encouraged for males to partake in extramarital affairs. She briefly wondered if her brother and Shizuku would do such a thing if offered the chance, but quickly dispelled that thought, resolving to have faith in their moral characters.

Finally, there was Rima, pretty with doll-like features, though less delicate-looking than Maria. She had golden orange hair that she wore in pigtails, sapphire blue eyes, and a perpetually bored expression that matched Senri’s lifeless one. Despite how detached the girl appeared, Yuki found her rather nice, since Rima often shared her stash of Pocky with her. Yuki in turn invited her to become a member of the baking club. Although the model declined, citing her busy career schedule, she occasionally joined them on her free days to indulge in tea and whatever pastry Maria baked that day.

* * *

Apart from striving to expand her social circle, Yuki tried her best to enjoy the academic side of school life. Although she was privately tutored by Hanabusa in the core subjects, she attended the other classes with everyone else. One such class was home economics, which was mandatory for all students. Yuki enjoyed the class, not only because it was less cerebral, but also because it gave her the opportunity to see the males in aprons. It was especially entertaining seeing Kaname onii-sama and Shizuku wearing aprons and head coverings. She daydreamed about switching out the plain aprons– it would be hilarious to see the males in frilly and excessively girly aprons.

The students were asked to organize themselves into groups of three or four. Kaname teamed up with Ruka, Hanabusa and Akatsuki. It seems Akatsuki’s tendency to take care of both his high-maintenance cousins permeated all aspects of his school life, as he ended up doing most of the cooking in their group. The rest of Kaname’s clique formed their own group, their cheerful vice president pairing up with the expressionless model duo. Maria found herself saddled with the 2 remaining purebloods, one who couldn’t cook despite her best efforts, and another who had never so much as held a spatula.

Yuki was as horrible at cooking as she had been since her childhood. Even her attempts to make a dish as simple as _omurice_ invariably failed. Her eggs always came out either overcooked or uncooked and she could never quite manipulate the egg onto the rice. It was unfortunate how her passion for food did not translate over to her results.

The other member of their trio was the wealthy young master with zero experience in cooking (or any other domestic activity). Having been raised in the lap of luxury all his life, Shizuku struggled to even peel potatoes and dice carrots. With barely veiled smirks and judgmental glances, Yuki pranced around him, unrelenting in pointing out all his errors. He initially tried to brush it off, gruffly complaining this was “women’s work” that he had no need to learn. Yuki taunted him, crowing that he was admitting defeat to her and he responded by pointing out that her cooking abilities were not any better than his.

Their bickering had been hard to miss, and even Kaname had glanced over at their table, feeling as though he were observing a pair of overgrown squabbling children.

Despite the general incompetence of her two teammates in the culinary arts, Maria impressively carried their grades. Yuki and Shizuku were restricted to preparing the ingredients, whereas she did most of the actual cooking. While the two purebloods quibbled, Maria busied herself transforming their ingredients into masterpieces worthy of being served at three-starred establishments.

Yuki’s goading struck a competitive chord in Shizuku, and one night after class, he surreptitiously approached Maria and asked her to give him supplementary cooking lessons, in exchange for monetary compensation. Under her tutelage, he improved rapidly, peeling potatoes and dicing onions like a professional after a week. A month later, Yuki stared in awe as he smugly ladled a bowl of shrimp bisque and placed it in front of her. As soon as she tasted the creamy soup, she knew she had been utterly defeated in the realm of cooking. She comforted herself with the fact that he still had trouble with the basic stitches.

One of the non-culinary aspects of their home economics curriculum involved learning how to sew. Yuki’s mother had taught her how to sew and embroider ever since she was little. Although she was not exactly talented in these fields, she had at the very least mastered the fundamentals. Meanwhile, like most of the other males in their class, Shizuku had trouble sewing even a straight line.

* * *

Yuki’s favorite class was horseback riding, which took place once a week on Friday afternoons. It was special since the Night Class students had wake up early and arrive at the stables by 4 o’clock, as horses are not nocturnal animals. The prefects had to escort them to the equestrian facilities and stay for the duration of the lesson to shoo away any intrusive Day Class students. Another notable feature was that the horses assigned to the Night Class were specially bred and raised to tolerate the presence of vampires, unlike those assigned to the Day Class.

Yuki had never seen a horse in person before but was smitten with the majestic animals at first sight. She quickly learned to ride on the flat and after a few weeks advanced to flat racing. Yuki refused to be outdone by the condescending Shizuku in anything related to physical education – it was the one subject she had always aced.

The two developed a heated rivalry and it was not long before their classmates and an inured Kaname could see them loudly tearing down the racing track, almost shoulder to shoulder, each trying to outrace the other. The stakes were that the loser had to treat the winner to a meal in town. For a while, some enterprising students even started pool betting on which of the two purebloods would win the weekly race. Unfortunately for them, the clandestine gambling was eventually discovered and shut down by their class president.

* * *

Although most people enjoyed art class, Yuki found sketching and painting stressful. She could never seem to control her paintbrush or get her colors right. While seated behind her easel, she constantly turned her head left and right, examining the progress of her neighbors. Maria and Shizuku were both quite good at painting, capturing the arrangements of fruit and wine with realistic detail on their canvasses.

Yuki had once read in one of Maria’s magazines (a publication exclusive to vampires and targeting adolescent females) that drinking the blood of someone talented in certain subjects would improve her own skill in those fields. Yuki had drunk her mother’s blood her whole life, and while Shizuka could have been a professional artist in another life, Yuki’s own art had not evolved from her toddler days. She had then begged Maria to give her some blood, and even after multiple sips spaced throughout the course of several months, there was still no improvement in her art. Yuki concluded regretfully that it was just an old wives tale, albeit a tasty one.

She was disappointed that her brother had not signed up for art class, since she had wanted to see his artistic ability. One day she happened to bemoan her wish to Takuma and the very next day, the blond handed her a folded piece of paper, telling her to examine it away from prying eyes (especially Aidou’s). When she finally opened the smuggled piece of artwork, she was shocked to see that her seemingly perfect brother did not fare any better than her in the arts.

Kaname onii-sama’s work resembled her own, the lines rigid and rough, the colors a mess, and likeness to the subject severely lacking. After several minutes of scrutinizing the picture, Yuki surmised that it was supposed to depict Yoko reading a book. Seeing her brother’s illustration confirmed Yuki’s long-held suspicions that her incompatibility with the arts was genetic.

Fortunately, her photography class was much more enjoyable. She carried her film camera almost everywhere and was constantly snapping candid shots of her classmates. She obtained numerous photos of a miffed Maria, scowling Shizuku, as well as many photos of her baking club peers and her brother’s clique. Those were stored in a pink, polka-dotted storage box hidden deep in her closet, next to the striped, violet box containing her secret Yoko collection. She also occasionally took photos of Kaname and used them to barter under the table with Hanabusa. She helped him enlarge his “Kaname-collection” while in return he reduced the amount of assigned homework.

* * *

Finally, there was music class, which Yuki had tried to get out of with the excuse that she played the _koto_ , whereas only Western instruments like the piano and violin were taught at school. Two days later, Kaname knocked on her door and presented to her a newly hired _koto_ teacher along with a _koto_ that he had ordered to be shipped express from an expert craftsman. With a pleasant but firm smile, he eyed her as though waiting for her next excuse. With nowhere left to run, she had grudgingly accepted the new _koto_ and her sentence of one lesson per week. She could not complain though, this was nothing compared to the almost daily lessons her mother had subjected her to back home.

However, Yuki was annoyed by the blatant double standards – both her brother and Shizuku got to opt out of music class. When she glumly commented on the situation to Kaname, he dismissed it with the excuse that he was busy with his class president duties. Afterwards, Takuma conspiratorially whispered to her that her brother was just lazy, and in fact relegated most of the actual work to him and Akatsuki, while Kaname lounged around his room playing chess and reading.

Unlike her brother, Shizuku didn’t even bother coming up with an excuse. When she confronted him about not taking a music class, he simply replied that he didn’t feel like it. Yuki pouted but left it at that. She assumed he lacked musical talent like her and simply wanted to save face and avoid revealing his weakness to others. To her surprise, she came across him playing a beautiful melody on a violin one subsequent night. Hearing the faint notes of a stirring but lachrymose tune as she strolled outside the dorm, she followed the sound to the building that Shizuku inhabited.

After climbing a tree and peeking into the open window the melody wafted out from, she saw him playing the violin with an uncharacteristically serious and involved expression, as though lost in the song. At that moment, glimpsing the profound mix of emotions lurking behind his green eyes, she was struck by the fact that he had lived almost a full century and had experienced an entire human lifetime’s worth of events she knew nothing about.

He obviously played the violin well and yet he had refused to take music class – it seemed there was a personal reason he hid even from her. The realization she did not actually know much about her friend’s past saddened her, and as the melancholic notes flowed from the strings, she felt an uncrossable divide between them for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone else ever thought it illogical how Rido and Shizuka were engaged in canon even though the Hious supposedly have a history of going insane? If she was truly at risk of going insane due to some genetic predisposition, she should never have been engaged to anyone, period, much less the oldest son of the former vampire royal family. 
> 
> On a lighter note: Baking club, where only two members actually bake, while the rest just wait to eat lol. Also, the part about how photogenic Kaname is was inspired by that episode of How I Met Your Mother, in which Barney Stinson looked perfect in all his photos, even when someone tried sneaking a candid of him eating chips and salsa. 
> 
> Anyway, in this chapter I wanted to include more about a normal high school life. Yoko will show up more in the next chapter.


	18. Eccentric Parents

Yuki could not stop thinking about her classmate’s wariness of her, despite Shizuku’s advice to just ignore them. It bugged her like an incessant itch she had to scratch. It was annoying trying to talk to a classmate and have them discreetly edging away. Those nobles were constantly finding ways to avoid her like she was a leper. After tossing and turning in bed for a few nights, too frustrated to fall straight asleep like she usually did, she arrived at a conclusion. Being passive was not going to work, and if her classmates were going to run away from her, she was just going to have to run after them and corner them.

Over the next few weeks, she crashed many club meetings, showing up uninvited with gifts of cakes or pastries. With her baking club friends coming along for moral support (and in Maria’s case - to ensure Yuki didn’t go overboard), she made the rounds like a persistent salesman knocking on doors. Every club from the astronomy club to the boy’s judo club was graced with her presence and invited to drop by the baking club room to chat with her sometimes. Unfortunately, her invitations were not heeded until the day she chanced upon something she shouldn’t have.

The Night Class occult mysteries club was composed of 4 boys. One of them was a certain Jun Matsuda who just started attending Cross Academy this year, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Sho Matsuda. Sho, although still a student, was a popular teen actor with many admirers in both the Day Class and Night Class. Sadly, Jun (like the other club members) was the opposite of his brother when it came to popularity, since being into stories of ghosts and aliens is not very conducive to attracting girlfriends. Due to their introverted natures and general disconnection from the Night Class gossip, they did not receive the news that Yuki was going around paying unannounced visits and forcing gifts of sweets into people’s hands.

Thus on that fateful day, when Yuki energetically burst through the door of the occult mysteries club, a box of fruit tarts in hand, the boys were completely caught off guard. They were in the midst of giggling like little kids at nude photos of the famous AV actress Rika, when Yuki and her girls entered the room. The boys looked with wide eyes at the intruders, momentarily uncomprehending the situation. Yuki stared back curiously at them, wondering why they looked like deer caught in headlights. After another second or so, she finally noticed the naked and buxom woman smiling coyly on the cover of the magazine they were crowded around.

In her shock, she dropped the box of tarts, and the sound of the sweets hitting the tiles, finally broke the boys out of their trance. Two of them screamed in alarm while another tried to hide under a desk. The one holding the magazine quickly stuffed the publication behind his back.

“It’s n-not wh-what you t-think it is, Yuki-sama!” he stammered.

Yuki recovered from her shock and scowled. “Really? Are you going to tell me that is your anatomy homework for science class?”

The boys before her were all first-year students, and they still had baby fat on their cheeks. As a responsible senpai she could not let them be led wayward by licentious pictures of naked women.

“I will have to confiscate and destroy this,” Yuki announced and grabbed the offending magazine from him. A flame sparked up on her other hand as she prepared to burn the magazine.

She was stopped by a shrill scream of protest.

“Nooooo! My older brother will kill me if I lose his special edition of the Bunny Girl magazine!” Jun moaned. He had stolen the magazine from his brother’s collection, and he could never replace it since it was autographed by Rika herself. He knelt in front of Yuki with beseeching eyes. “Yuki-sama! I will do whatever you say if you give it back to me!”

Ayumi stifled a giggle while Nozomi turned away to hide a small smile. At the sight of their beautiful senpais laughing at them, the boys wished they would just turn into piles of ashes. They thought they had already hit rock bottom of the Night Class’s social totem pole, but now they discovered they could go even lower.

“Jun, you idiot!” his friends tried to shush him and pull him back. “Yuki-sama’s word is final!”

Flames licked threateningly at the edges of the beloved magazine as Yuki stared at the boy with his sandy brown hair and pleading gray eyes. She then shifted her gaze to the generously endowed woman on the cover, posing seductively under the raunchy headline of “Rika-chan reveals the proper way to undress a woman!”. As much as she wanted to destroy his illicit magazine, the gears in her head started turning.

“Anything?” she asked, a somewhat malicious glint shining in her usually kind eyes.

Jun gulped, wondering what he got himself into.

“Anything…” he repeated meekly.

Yuki put out the flames emanating from her fingertips and turned with a conspiratorial grin to her friends. Maria could sense her friend had some ill-conceived plan and groaned in her head before Yuki even spoke.

“Ladies, please welcome the newest members to our baking club!” Yuki cheerfully chirped.

She turned back to Jun, an evil smile on her face that caused him to break out into shivers. “Now Jun, if you want Rika-chan back, tell me…do you know whether any of our other classmates are in possession of such ‘literature’?”

Jun wanted to cry. As if it wasn’t already bad enough that he was caught looking at Bunny Girl and facing the judgmental stares of his female senpais. Right now, he felt as if he was facing a yakuza boss instead of a proper pureblood princess. Perhaps the rumor that Shizuka-sama was the secret boss of a large international drug cartel were true after all.

A while back he had overheard his parents gossiping about Shizuka-sama who had run away from her husband, and how the Senate was looking for her. There were all sorts of hearsay but one of the most popular was that she was wanted by the Council for operating a cartel that kidnapped both humans and vampires and forcefully drained them to produce premium blood tablets. He could picture this Yuki-sama, despite her look of girlish innocence, being the heiress to such a dangerous organization. Maybe she sported a giant dragon tattoo on her back under that uniform! If he didn’t cooperate with her, he would be whisked off and made into black market blood tablets!

“Yuki…don’t bully our kohai,” Maria murmured, finally stepping in out of pity for the boy who looked ready to burst into tears.

“Don’t worry Maria, I’m a very nice senpai,” Yuki said before turning her attention back to Jun who was currently besieged by his overly active imagination. “Anyway, if your older brother wants his Rika-chan back, tell him he will have to come see me.”

* * *

A week later, Shizuku strolled past the baking club room before quickly backtracking and staring in disbelief through the open door. The room was now filled with people, seated eating pastries and holding conversations. Yuki sat in the middle of the room, nodding happily at the noble who was recounting some story to her. She glanced up, sensing his presence and beamed at him.

“Shizuku, you should join us! Sho-kun here is such a gifted story-teller!”

He eyed her suspiciously. For some reason, the popular actor and his buddies were hanging out with Yuki when she had been actively avoided by most of the Night Class only a few days ago. And now that he was paying more attention, something seemed off about this scene of social gaiety. Why did half the guys present have such gloomy gazes and such forced smiles as they ate their sweets? The kid sitting in the corner was looking at him with an oddly imploring expression, like a hostage trying to convey a hidden message without the knowledge of his captor.

He frowned. “I’ll pass.”

She shrugged and returned her attention to the noble.

A few nights later, when Yuki came to visit him after class, he confronted her.

“Hey, what did you do to them?” he asked point-blank as he stared at her.

She was lazing around his couch, flipping through some fashion magazine, and getting cookie crumbs all over his Persian carpet. She glanced up and smiled innocently at him. “What do you mean?”

He cupped his cheek in his left palm and kept his gaze firmly on her. That cherubic smile was not going to work on him. “You know exactly what I mean – half the guys at the baking club the other day looked ready to weep as they ate their cakes. That Jun was practically sending me an SOS with his eyes.”

“Perhaps Maria’s baking was so tasty they were ready to burst into tears of joy. As for Jun, he is perfectly happy being a member of our club - I have no idea what you are insinuating.”

Shizuku scoffed at her blatant lie.

“Really? Because I heard a funny rumor that a certain pureblood was going around extorting people to join her club.”

Yuki instantly scowled. “Now that’s a really distorted account. I am merely inviting them to join my club and partake in food and congenial conversation!”

“So you don’t deny the extortion?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

She pouted. “That’s a misinterpretation. How can a cute innocent girl such as me extort others? I simply gave them a choice between the destruction of their prohibited magazines or getting to know me better.”

He snorted and leaned back in his chair. “No cute and innocent girl would actually refer to herself as such. The fact is that you blackmailed them with their porn into hanging out with you.”

She shrugged unapologetically. “I discovered this method was more efficient than my former method. Besides, if they didn’t do something wrong in the first place, I wouldn’t be able to blackmail them. They should be more like you, hiding cute toy ships instead of smut. By the way, you are still quite the child at heart, aren’t you?”

He froze for a second before sitting up straight as a rod. “You…you were snooping in my bedroom?!”

She paused mid-bite of a cookie, realizing what she had let slip. She glanced at him out the corner of her eye to assess his reaction. His green eyes were blazing with fury. _It is time to show myself out_ …she thought and hurriedly gobbled the remainder of her cookie.

“Oh gosh, look at the time! It’s so late – I should go to bed. Goodnight!” Yuki yelled over her shoulder as she scrambled up, not bothering to take her magazine as she fled. She was out the door before he could even get past his desk.

“Yuki!!!” The angry bellow of the furious pureblood echoed throughout the old dorm building.

* * *

Now that she had taken care of her relationships with the nobles, Yuki wanted to deepen her relationship with her brother – they were family after all. Although she saw him every day and often spent the lunch period with him and his group, there was an unspoken distance between them.

Yuki paced hesitantly outside her brother’s room, approaching his door every few seconds, but always backing away immediately. She wanted to overcome the distance separating them with some sibling bonding time. However, it was one thing to deal with the nobles, and something else entirely different dealing with her brother. Even though Kaname appeared to be an exemplary gentleman, sometimes he came off rather intimidating with his heavy stares and deep silences. At those times, she felt he was older than her by many centuries instead of only a few years – his solemnity was on par with that of her mother’s.

After 10 minutes of hearing her trot circles outside his door, Kaname put down his pen. It was about time he took a break from filling out paperwork anyway.

“Yuki, you can come in if you want.” His voice was clear and loud enough for the girl outside to hear.

Her pacing stopped, and a few seconds later, she hesitantly opened his door just wide enough to stick her head in. She saw him look back at her with an amused smile and grinned sheepishly in return, finally fully entering the room and shutting the door behind her. He indicated at her to have a seat on the sofa and left his desk to sit beside her.

“How are you, Yuki? Is there something you wanted to discuss with me?”

“Oh, everything is fine, I just wanted to talk to you a bit… since we haven’t really chatted in private after the day Yoko was attacked,” she fidgeted a little before continuing. “Although we are siblings, I don’t really know much about you and I want us to be closer. But if you’re busy I can come back another time! I don’t want to impose...”

Kaname smiled indulgently. “Yes, Yuki is right. We should spend more time together to make up for all those years we have been apart. I’m sure there must be many things you want to ask me.”

Yuki brightened at his response and felt her courage welling. They spent the next hour and half discussing their parents, a topic Yuki had always wanted to know more about. Kaname recounted the memories he had of Haruka and Juri.

He mentioned how lovestruck the couple had been, behaving more like teenagers than millennia old vampires. Yuki listened in rapt attention as Kaname described having to sit through multiple meals in which Haruka and Juri spoon fed each other and looked adoringly into one another’s eyes, their sparkly pink mood permeating the entire dining room. Seeing Yuki’s starry eyes and hearing her exclaim how cute that was, Kaname couldn’t help but think she was definitely Haruka and Juri’s child. He was also greatly amused at the fact that Yuki was Yoko’s opposite when it came to their views on romance.

Kaname also retold the tale of how Haruka had chased after Juri persistently, following her as she spent a few years in a human high school. The story of how Haruka had hidden all the umbrellas one rainy day just to make Juri walk with him under the same umbrella tickled Yuki, who giggled at how cheesy and unrelenting in his pursuit her father had been. Towards the end, Kaname walked over to his desk, opened a drawer, and returned with a small, framed photo.

He spoke gently as he handed it to her. “You should have this, Yuki.”

The photo within the ornate frame depicted a smiling couple, the male standing to the left of a female sitting in a chair, each of them cradling a baby swaddled in a pink blanket. A little boy stood between the two adults. The man was dressed up in a formal black suit, the little boy in a matching miniature version of the adult’s, and the woman in a frilly, high collared, dark purple dress with an matching purple headband adorning her curly hair. The tender kindness the adults reflected in their eyes indicated the depth of their love for their children.

Without Kaname having to explain further, Yuki knew instantly that this was their family photo. Silently, she traced the outlines of her birth parents’ face. As her index finger slid over the glass, tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Kaname held her gently as she finally gave in to her emotions and sobbed without reserve.

That day, Yuki left his room clutching the framed photo to her heart and feeling as though a weight had been lifted. The scarcity of information on her birth parents had always lurked at the back of her mind. Her mother had already mentioned how Yuki resembled her birth mother in appearance, and how sappy her birth parents were, constantly holding hands and addressing each other with corny nicknames every time they visited her. However, the blanks of her birth parents’ faces had finally been filled in.

From then on, Yuki often visited her brother to chat. He eventually showed her his treasured secret photo collection of Yoko, composed of various shots the Headmaster had sent him over the years. Yuki flipped through the pages of the leather-bound album, feeling elated as though she had won the lottery. Although she frequently took pictures of Yoko, lurking behind hedges and trees like the best of the paparazzi, she did not possess any photos of her twin as a child.

After some begging and promising that she will work harder on her lessons, she persuaded Kaname to gift her with a photo of Yoko as a toddler. In the picture, her sister was standing against an autumnal backdrop, clad in a gray coat with a blue scarf, her curly hair done in two short braids. Yoko held a bright orange leaf which she examined with an abnormally serious expression on her face, as though mentally debating some deep philosophical question. Yuki could not help but find the grave look the toddler Yoko displayed hilarious. It seemed her younger twin had been overly serious from the start, as though she had been born with an old soul.

In return for the photo, Yuki gifted her brother with a personally embroidered handkerchief, an unevenly stitched pink bunny gracing one of the corners. Upon receiving her present, Kaname smiled and patted her gently on the head.

After she left, he reflected on how cheerful and carefree she was. It seemed Shizuka had coddled her quite a bit, but he supposed he would have done the same or worse if he had raised her instead. While Yuki was a lackluster student and somewhat naive, she had a way of winning people over with her innocence and upbeat personality. A small smile graced his lips as he pondered how it would do Yoko good for some of Yuki’s joyful nature to rub off on her.

* * *

Everyone at Cross Academy looked forward to the weekends. On weekends, the campus atmosphere was livelier and more relaxed since there was less segregation between the classes. The Night Class could use the campus facilities at the same time as the Day Class on weekends – so both vampires and humans could be found wandering in the school gardens or milling around the dining hall. Occasionally, the student clubs from the two classes held joint activities.

The tea ceremony club was notably popular with the Day Class girls, since it often held joint activities with its Night Class counterpart. On those days, the club room would be packed to the brim since many nonmembers also came to observe the meeting. After all, this was one of the few times the Day Class girls got to closely interact with the handsome Night Class vice president. If they were really lucky, sometimes Ichijo bought Shiki along with him.

The school guardians looked forward to the weekends as much as the rest of their classmates, since the only guardian duty they had then was patrolling the grounds at night. Zero often went off to attend to his hunter duties and training, sometimes with Ichiru tagging along.

On her part, Yoko would wake up early as usual, go for a jog, practice using the Artemis rod, eat a quick meal, then spend the rest of the day at the library. She liked to get major assignments out of the way as soon as possible, so she could spend the remaining time researching topics that sparked her interest. She would sit for hours at her customary table and not talk to another soul – like most other library dwellers caught in their own studies. However, after Kaname’s sister joined the school, Yoko often encountered her in the library on Saturday afternoons.

The pureblood would shyly ask to join her at her table. To Yoko’s surprise, she discovered that Yuki was having some trouble with the Night Class curriculum. She ended up offering to help Yuki with her studies, like she occasionally did with some of her struggling classmates. The other girl accepted with almost startling alacrity, and from then on, they met every Saturday to go over topics such as balancing chemical equations and key events of the last world war.

When exam time approached, Yoko made a study guide for Yuki, with special focus on the topics she demonstrated the most trouble with. Yuki received the packet of notes with shiny eyes. It was only through using every ounce of her self-control that she did not wrap Yoko in a bear hug or squeal and jump at joy at receiving ten full pages of her sister’s neat handwriting. Notes that Yoko had made just for her and her only! Even Kaname onii-sama never received a study guide from Yoko!

“Thank you Yoko! I will treasure it forever!” Yuki grasped Yoko’s hands and sniffled. “In return for all your help, let me treat you at a café!”

“You don’t have to, it’s only a simple study guide,” Yoko replied. “In fact, the chairman and I should be the ones thanking you and Kaname-senpai for your family’s continued support for this school.”

Yoko had always felt awkward accepting gifts from others including Kaname-senpai, so his sister was no different. Yuki had already tried giving her various gifts over the semester, including butterfly hair clips, embroidered silk handkerchiefs, and a very expensive-looking necklace. She had accepted the handkerchiefs since Yuki had personally embroidered them for her but had rejected everything else. Yoko did not feel she had done anything to deserve such generosity and on principle did not like to owe people if possible.

_Argh! Yoko, why are you always so polite? I dislike it when you are so polite with me, like we are just strangers!_ Yuki lamented mentally before insisting on her offer again.

“No, no, no! It is only right that I treat you for all the help you gave me!” Yuki protested. “Are you free tomorrow? Or next weekend? My schedule is very open, I am free whenever you are free. Just say when and I’ll be ready.”

Finding it difficult to say no to the other girl’s impassioned invitation, Yoko ended up accepting and arranging to meet up the next day. She supposed being treated to cake and tea was a lot more acceptable than the gifts Yuki frequently offered. Besides, she had been planning to go to town with Yori and get a haircut soon.

* * *

The next day Yuki got up at 9 in the morning. It was early, and Yoko had offered to meet later in the day for her convenience, but Yuki had declined since she wanted to spend as many hours with Yoko as possible. She had often daydreamed about hanging out with her sister, and the moment had finally come. Although she knew Yori, Yoko’s friend who she had already met a few times, would be joining them, she was still very excited. After spending almost a full hour trying on different outfits, she ended up settling on a simple, checkered, grey dress to wear under her navy-blue trench coat. She hastily put on her matching beret, checked to see if her wallet was in her crossbody bag, then grabbed her parasol and hurried to the front gate where she had arranged to meet Yoko.

Yuki found the two girls waiting right outside the gate and bounded over eagerly. She noticed that Yoko was wearing a black duffel jacket and black jeans and wondered how her sister would look in a blue trench coat and beret like hers. Or maybe she could purchase an identical black jacket and pair of jeans… It was one of her great desires to one day wear matching outfits with her twin, like she sometimes saw the Kiryu twins doing.

The three girls joined the line of students waiting for the bus to town. Some of the other students stared a bit in surprise, since it was rare for a Night Class student to be awake this early, and to take the bus with them. When the Night Class members wanted to go to town, they were almost always chauffeured instead.

Taking a bus for was a new experience for Yuki. Given her childhood situation, she had never taken public transportation. The first and only time she had taken a train was when she had journeyed with Maria to their new life at Cross Academy, and even then, it had been a private luxury compartment.

An hour later, they reached the town and disembarked. Their first stop was the hair salon, where Yuki watched in dejection as the stylist cut away at Yoko’s hair. Although Yoko, being the utilitarian she was, had explained that long hair was too time consuming to wash and dry especially in the winter, Yuki still felt dispirited seeing her sister’s dark brown curls fall and pile on the floor. Unfortunately, she would have to put off her dream of one day braiding Yoko’s hair like she sometimes did with Maria for the foreseeable future.

After Yoko got her hair cut to a chin-length bob, the girls headed to the bookstore where they browsed around for over an hour. Yuki ended up buying the latest volume of the _Crimson Heart_ series she and Maria were currently reading together. The series was a hit among adolescent females and told the tale of a girl from a fallen aristocratic family who caught the attention of all the kingdom’s princes. Although Yuki liked every prince, she personally wanted the crown prince to win the protagonist’s heart, whereas Maria, always rooting for the underdog, backed the fourth prince. Yuki tried to interest Yori and Yoko in reading the series too. While Yori good naturedly accepted, the latter politely declined, stating she did not read the romance genre. Yoko did offer a recommendation in return, but Yuki had to decline the heavy book about fiscal policy. It was easier to simply accept that she and her sister had vastly different literary tastes.

* * *

When Yuki got tired of the bookstore and suggested heading to a cafe, Yori announced she had already arranged to meet up with her father and would rejoin them later to take the bus back to school. The girls parted ways and Yuki ended up taking Yoko to the traditional Japanese confectionary stop instead of the café Aidou-senpai had recommended. When they passed the shop, she had been hit with a sudden sense of homesickness upon seeing the pretty flower-shaped confections in the display case.

They sat at one of the small tables near the window, giving them a view of the people passing by outside. The sweets they ordered were soon served, and Yuki sighed happily as she ate her confection, feeling the familiar taste of the sweet red beans.

“Do you like the one with the white bean paste or the red bean paste more?” Yuki asked.

“Hmm…they both taste good. What about you?”

“I like both, but red bean is my favorite. My mother prefers white bean and lets me eat all the ones with red bean.”

Yoko saw a wistful expression briefly fall over the usually bright and cheery girl’s face. As she sipped her tea, she pondered whether to bring up what she had been curious about for the past months. Her curiosity won out in the end.

“Yuki…why were you and Kaname-senpai raised separately? My father told me you were raised by your aunt instead,” Yoko asked gingerly, before adding, “Of course, if this is too personal, you don’t have to answer.”

Yuki paused mid-bite, completely caught off guard by Yoko’s direct question. She wondered how to respond, not wanting to accidentally reveal too much of the truth. Eventually she swallowed and started speaking.

“There was a bad man who killed our parents. My brother and I were raised apart because it was safer to hide my existence. But now that I am older and stronger, it was time to reunite with my family.”

She was not going to give her uncle the honor of a name nor acknowledge his relationship to her. If it were up to her, Yoko wouldn’t ever know of that evil man’s existence. Besides, her family drama was too complicated and tragically ironic. It wasn’t an outsider who had broken apart her family, taking away her birth parents before she got to know them, and leaving her sister cut away from her and Kaname, completely unaware of their true relationship. It was her own blood-related uncle, and ironically enough, it was this man’s wife who had ended up taking care of her and becoming her adoptive mother. How much easier everything would be if the villain had been an outsider instead…

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Yoko said quietly. She hoped her question had not brought up any bad memories for Yuki.

Yuki shook her head. “It’s alright. Sometimes I get tired of having to keep everything a secret…its rather a relief to let it out actually.”

“That man…has he been arrested and dealt with properly?”

Yuki frowned as she remembered all her distrust and dissatisfaction towards the Senate. Despite being the governing institution responsible for maintaining peace in vampire society, the Senate was on that man’s side. She had already met Ichijo-senpai’s grandfather, the third week after she started school. It had shocked her how the cheery and friendly Takuma was descended from such a cold and intimidating man. Although she was his pureblood superior, the senior Ichijo was still a formidable man and she had felt a bit unnerved under his icy gaze – a gaze that vaguely reminded her of the heterochromatic eyes from her childhood nightmares. She had been glad that Kaname onii-sama and Shizuku were by her side during the short meeting.

She had discovered even more reason to resent the Senate when she learned from Jun all the weird rumors floating around about her mother. It was when that kid asked if he should address her as “ _aneki_ ” that she discovered he thought she and her mother ran a crime syndicate! Another kicker was the rumor that her mother had stolen all that man’s savings and was on the run for financial fraud. Yuki would have laughed upon hearing the rumor, if she hadn’t been so angry over how her mother was portrayed as the villain and the actual bad guy, her uncle, was portrayed as the victim. No doubt the Senate had something to with all this nonsense.

“Well…unfortunately the situation is a bit messy,” Yuki finally replied and forced herself to smile. “But we shouldn’t waste this lovely Sunday talking about such matters. Why don’t you tell me about your father the headmaster instead?”

Yoko tilted her head to the side as she considered how to describe her father. “My father…he is rather eccentric. He likes to dress in strange and flashy clothes and reacts very emotionally to the most mundane things. He also enjoys making puns and jokes, but I’m afraid comedy isn’t really his forte. He often gets on Zero and Ichiru’s nerves with his antics, and I’ve seen even Kaname-senpai get annoyed with him.”

Yoko remembered how when they were younger, her father had once riled up the twins by purposefully switching their names and the boys had ended up chasing him all over the house. Another time her father had said something that irritated Kaname-senpai so much the brunet’s eyebrow had visibly twitched before he singlehandedly crushed the cup he held, spilling coffee everywhere. Yoko often wished her father would reign in his tendency to troll and instead act more like how the headmaster of an esteemed school should.

Yuki laughed. She would pay good money to see her brother get annoyed with Headmaster Cross.

“Despite it all, he is a good man. He might like to joke around, but he is serious about his mission to foster coexistence between humans and vampires. And if it were not for him… I might not be here today, enjoying your company,” Yoko concluded.

After a moment, Yoko asked, “What about your mother? What kind of person is she?”

“My mother? Well…I suppose she is rather eccentric too. Her sense of humor can be quite morbid and concerning at times...”

Just last week when Yuki had called home, she had experienced her mother’s strange humor. When she complained to her mother about the weird rumors, her mother had laughed as though greatly entertained. Her mother had then commented that perhaps she really should get into the black-market blood tablet business, as it seemed much more lucrative than embroidery. Yuki had heard Aoi’s voice in the background, scolding her mother to not even jest about such a thing. Her mother then commented that she should have stolen that man’s wine collection at the very least, to which Aoi was heard replying there was no way they would have been able to run with all that. It seemed that her mother was on par with the headmaster, if not surpassing him, when it came to oddness.

“She can also be intimidating at times… and she has a bad habit of teasing people,” Yuki continued. Teasing was definitely a vice her mother possessed… if the naïve and timid Jun ever met her mother, he would probably piss himself in fright. Her mother would have a field day verbally toying with him and he would likely come out forever traumatized.

“But in general, she is very elegant and composed, and she loves me very much,” Yuki quickly added, not wanting to give Yoko a strange impression of her mother. There were already enough weird rumors about her.

“Your mother sounds very interesting. Maybe I will meet her if she comes visit the school on open house day.” Yoko was intrigued by Yuki’s account of her mother and she was always curious when it came to learning more about Kaname-senpai and his family.

Yuki smiled nervously. “Unfortunately, my mother can’t travel much. But maybe one day you will have the chance to meet her.” _It would have to be in the distant future though…one in which that man was hopefully no longer around_ , she mused.

“Anyway, the headmaster sounds very fun to be around,” Yuki stated then added, “You also seem to get along well with the Kiryu twins.”

“Yes, they are like brothers to me, much like Kaname-senpai,” Yoko replied.

Yoko smiled wryly as she remembered how Ichiru sometimes referred to her as his “other brother”. He had also commented that despite her appearance, she completely lacked feminine appeal. Zero had been more offended by that statement than her and had whacked his brother in the head before apologizing profusely to her.

She was not bothered by her “lack of feminine appeal”, but sometimes she did wonder what it was like to be more feminine in both appearance and demeanor like Yori and Yuki. Yori possessed that quiet and modest charm typical of a girl from a refined family background. Yuki was cute and lively and had a decent number of admirers among the Day Class boys.

Yoko studied Yuki and thought about how the pureblood was probably the exact type of girl her father and Kaname-senpai would like her to be instead. Yuki’s hair was done in a charming braid with a large ribbon, her nails were painted a shimmery pink color. She wore a nice dress, a pretty trench coat with a dainty bow at the neck, and overall looked like she could be one of those idols she saw her male classmates gushing over. Yoko mused that with her height of 180 cm and her all-black outfit, she probably looked large and masculine compared to the petite and feminine Yuki.

Yuki looked quizzically back at Yoko upon noticing the other girl observing her. “What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

“No…I was just thinking that you are very cute.”

Yuki nearly dropped her tea. _That was such a direct and unexpected compliment! Yoko called me cute!_ She pressed her hands to her blushing cheeks and turned away shyly from Yoko’s steady gaze. Quickly calming herself, she turned back to face the other girl.

“Oh my, what are you saying Yoko? You are cute too!”

Yoko only smiled back mildly at her. Yuki frowned slightly – it seemed Yoko didn’t quite believe her.

“It’s true! You have such nice long legs and a great chest!” Yuki blurted out without thinking.

Yoko stared at her with widened eyes.

_Oh no, my sister thinks I am some sort of pervert!_ Yuki gasped and groaned to herself.

Yuki hurriedly tried to explain herself. “I mean that in an objective way – without any weird meaning! I don’t generally go around staring at other girls’ legs and chests, really! Okay… maybe I do that sometimes, but all girls do that – it’s like a natural part of being a girl- ogling other girl’s figures!”

She stopped fumbling for excuses when she heard an unfamiliar sound. It was a quiet and light sound reminiscent of wind chimes. She glanced over and to her surprise saw Yoko laughing. She had never seen her sister laugh until now!

Yoko soon stopped her laughter but retained an amused smile. The other girl’s candor was admirable. Yuki was so different from Kaname-senpai in that regard.

“Thank you, Yuki.”

Yuki smiled sheepishly, her cheeks still flushed. Thankfully, Yoko didn’t seem creeped out by her – and on the bright side she had witnessed her sister laughing.

The two girls chatted some more before finally heading over to the bus stop where Yori was waiting. They made it back to school without incident, and Yuki skipped happily back to the Moon Dorm. She couldn’t stop smiling and the only regret she had was that she didn’t take a photo of her sister laughing – capturing that rare and beautiful moment.

* * *

Yoko’s short hair ended up giving Yuki more anxiety than she could ever have expected.

Ichiru, being the troublemaker he was, had made a deal with his female classmates. If they promised to be on their best behavior for one full week, not causing any trouble for the guardians or the Night Class, he would cross-dress, donning the female school uniform for half a day. The idea was very well received, and the girls even offered to behave nicely for two whole weeks if Zero also cross dressed. Ichiru regretted not having a camera on hand to capture the expression his older twin made upon hearing the proposal. Zero definitively rejected said proposal and stressed that under no circumstances would he ever cross-dress. He also tried to talk Ichiru out of it, but of course his younger twin ignored him.

To Zero’s great consternation, even Yoko joined in the madness. One of their more imaginative classmates had long noticed an odd physical resemblance between their female prefect and Kaname and had jokingly proposed that if Yoko also cross-dressed, they would behave themselves for another week. To everyone’s surprise, the ever-decorous Yoko accepted. She reasoned that if putting on the boy’s uniform will give them a week of respite and bring cheer to her classmates, it was not a bad deal.

Yuki and the rest of the Night Class were already feeling odd after experiencing two weeks of abnormally well-behaved Day Class girls. They were even more confounded the day they made their usual procession to class and saw that two of their guardians were replaced by an unfamiliar male and female while their other guardian, Zero, looked extremely downtrodden. Only upon walking closer did they realize the “strangers” were their regular guardians crossdressing!

The silver-haired girl was actually Ichiru wearing a long hair wig and the female Day Class uniform – he seemed to be playing the role of a female with much gusto. The male was actually Yoko in the male Day Class uniform, with her chest bound flat and her already shortened hair tied back. Some of them blinked several times to make sure they were seeing correctly.

The Day Class girls whispered excitedly amongst themselves as Kaname approached Yoko and stopped a few feet away. Yuki felt like fainting and reflexively grabbed Shizuku by his elbow to steady herself.

Yoko looked too much like her brother.

While she was undoubtedly a beautiful girl in her usual clothes, done up like this she looked very much a _bishounen_ like her brother. She was already tall for a girl (in fact a bit taller than Aidou-senpai). If she were even taller, her jawline and cheekbones more masculine, her shoulders wider, and her eyes brown instead, she would look like the archetypical Kuran male. As expected, Yuki could hear students from both classes murmuring about how much Yoko resembled Kaname.

“It’s all over,” Yuki gasped lightly and tightly squeezed Shizuku’s arm in her anxiety. Everyone who was not blind was going to figure out their relationship right there and then!

“Is this unexpected when your gene pool is so limited? The only thing shocking is how so few people noticed their resemblance until now.” Shizuku whispered back.

Yuki scowled and purposely dug her nails deeper into his elbow upon seeing him looking as though he was having the time of his life when she felt on the verge of having a panic attack. This asshole was the type of person who laughed while the world burned.

Yuki then glanced at her brother, and she could swear that for a fraction of a second, he looked like he had seen a ghost. He blinked and quickly recomposed himself. She wondered if he would say anything to refute the whispers, but he simply smiled politely and continued leading the Night Class to their lecture building without comment.

Shizuku dragged Yuki along. “Act like you don’t notice anything out of the ordinary like your brother is doing. If you make a fuss, you will seem more suspicious instead,” he whispered.

* * *

Later at lunch, there was an unusual atmosphere over the table at which Yuki sat with her brother and his close followers. Ruka and Hanabusa kept exchanging furtive glances, and even the normally bored models looked like they had something on their minds. Only Takuma was talking, and Yuki joined him in his lighthearted chatter in an attempt to dispel the odd mood.

As Takuma was in the middle of relaying the latest chapter of a manga he was reading, Ruka cleared her throat and interrupted him.

“Kaname-sama…the way Yoko dressed earlier was quite surprising…she looked so much like you.”

“Really?” Kaname asked and continued sipping his tea calmly.

The pureblood’s response was so elegantly nonchalant that Ruka and the others began to wonder if they were overthinking things. The noble stayed silent, unsure how to respond.

At that moment, Yuki burst out into laughter, startling most of the nobles at the table.

“That was quite a shock Yoko gave us indeed! For a moment I wondered just who the handsome guy was. I don’t think she looks like Kaname onii-sama much though – or if she does, it’s because beautiful people tend to look alike, don’t you think, Ruka?” Yuki asked with hints of somewhat forced laughter still in her voice.

“Well, yes, that may be the case Yuki-sama.”

“If Yoko does resemble Kaname onii-sama, it’s probably because they share a similar hair color. Besides, its hard to mistake the two of them when Yoko has such pretty blue eyes and my brother has rich brown eyes, like me,” Yuki continued.

She was beyond glad that her family possessed such a common hair color. It would have been a lot harder to explain away the resemblance as mere coincidence if they possessed a rare hair color instead, like her mother or the Kiryus did.

“That might just be it Yuki-sama,” Ruka acquiesced.

Yuki directed the conversation away from Yoko, and the awkward atmosphere eventually faded away. As the Night Class students headed to their respective classrooms after lunch ended, Takuma caught up with Yuki in the hall.

“Well, Yoko-chan unwittingly caused quite some trouble today for you and Kaname didn’t she? Kuran genetics are just that strong and hard to deny,” he whispered, leaning close to her.

Yuki stared at him with her eyes wide and her mouth open. “Ichijo-senpai, how much do you know?”

The blond smiled mysteriously before bringing an index finger to his lips. “That’s a secret between me and Kaname.”

He winked and left her standing in the hall, mulling over the situation. On her side, Maria and Shizuku knew about Yoko. On her brother’s side, it seemed Ichijo-senpai as well as Seiren were aware, while Aidou-senpai and the rest were thankfully still unaware. Their family secret was safe for now…or at least until _that man_ comes to end what he had started 16 years ago. Yuki hugged her books closer to her and fervently wished that these peaceful school days would last as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I wrote the part about Yuki being avoided by her classmates, the “Why are you running?” meme came to mind, lol. And yes, Bunny Girl is a shameless rip-off of Playboy. This Yuki engages in some light blackmailing…she is a tad more forceful and mischievous since she was raised by Shizuka.

**Author's Note:**

> Obligatory disclaimer: I do not own VK, only this fic and the OCs within it.


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